A tourist boat in northern Botswana had to speed away after a hippo charged toward it on Sunday, captured on video by Oznur Bell, a visitor from abroad. Bell, who was on the boat with her three children and a friend, said the vessel had slowed to avoid disturbing the animal after spotting it in the Okavango Delta. Moments earlier, the group had seen an elephant, and Bell happened to be filming when the hippo suddenly lunged forward. One of the guides shouted, "Hold on — we need to speed up now before he decides to come after us," she recalled. The boat accelerated, creating a wake as the hippo pursued, its head and upper body breaking the water in powerful strokes. Bell's video, later posted on Instagram, shows the tense moment and the guides' nervous smiles once the danger passed. According to Bell, the guides said such chases are rare despite hippos being highly territorial. The African Wildlife Foundation notes that hippos, though herbivores, are the third-largest land animal and can weigh up to 8,000 pounds, with adaptations that allow swift movement in water and on land. The World Wildlife Fund lists the species as "vulnerable," citing human encroachment as a primary threat. Bell said she felt lucky to have recorded the encounter, which she described as both terrifying and extraordinary.
The guide's decision to slow the boat near the hippo was intended to avoid disturbance, yet it preceded an aggressive charge. Whether slowing down near a territorial animal in a waterway increases risk or prevents escalation remains unclear from the account. The guides' later comment that such chases are rare suggests this event defied typical patterns of hippo behavior. This raises questions about how standard safety protocols apply in unpredictable wildlife encounters.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
