Moment woman ignores warning not to approach wild hippo… before enraged beast charges and knocks her down

By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN

Published: 14:29 BST, 7 May 2025 | Updated: 15:04 BST, 7 May 2025

This is the shocking moment a wild hippo knocks down a holidaymaker after she ignores a man’s warning not to approach it.

Footage shows the enraged beast charging at the woman before using its head to ram her face-first to the ground as bystanders watch on in horror.

The person behind the camera can be heard shouting, ‘he’s going to charge’ and telling a child ‘this is what you call an idiot’ as the woman moves closer to the animal.

‘She’s not listening,’ the child responds as the rotund creature barrels towards her, slamming her into the grass and fleeing the scene in St Lucia on Tuesday night.

The cameraman shouts, ‘you’re stupid’ as the stunned woman gets to her feet and staggers away, leaning on a man for support.

The video, posted on the Facebook page ‘St Lucia News’ said there were ‘warnings posted all over town’ but that ‘people still take stupid risks when approaching the hippos’.

Another Facebook page, Unofficial: Into the Wild, added: ‘Visitors are told by lodge, guesthouse owners, and businesses to stay far back from the hippos.

‘But some people just don’t listen. They are very lucky they weren’t seriously hurt or killed. They have now made a hippo potentially more aggressive to humans by their foolish behavior. Stay back people.’ 

This is the shocking moment a wild hippo knocks down a holidaymaker after she ignores a man’s warning not to approach it. Footage shows the enraged beast charging at the woman before using its head to ram her face-first to the ground as bystanders watch on in horror

The person behind the camera can be heard shouting ‘he’s going to charge’ and telling a child ‘this is what you call an idiot’ as the woman moves closer to the animal. ‘She’s not listening’, the child responds as the rotund creature barrels towards the woman, slamming her into the grass and fleeing the scene in St Lucia on Tuesday night

The cameraman shouts, ‘You’re stupid’ as the stunned woman gets to her feet and staggers away, leaning on a man for support

The video, which was posted on the Facebook page ‘St Lucia News’ said there were ‘warnings posted all over town’ but that ‘people still take stupid risks when approaching the hippos’.

According to local media, the tourists involved were ordered out of St Lucia, and accommodation establishments advised them not to take future bookings from them.

‘They were given an hour to vacate town or face law enforcement proceedings,’ reported the Zululand Observer.  

According to BBC Science Focus Magazine, hippos kill around 500 people each year.

Last year Lisa Manders, 70, died after being attacked by one of the animals in  Zambia while on a dream trip with her husband Craig.

The mother-of-three suffered ‘catastrophic injuries’ and died moments after the attack, according to a lawsuit her grieving husband has now filed against African Portfolio, the Connecticut-based company that organized the trip.

‘Had we understood the dangers posed by the hippopotamus, we never would have agreed to be in such close contact while on foot,’ Craig said in a statement.

‘The idea that we were unwittingly exposed to such an extreme danger, a danger made even worse by our tour guides leaving Lisa alone on foot with nothing between her and such a deadly animal, is nothing short of astonishing.’

It comes after a hippopotamus was caught on camera dragging a child to his death in Lake Victoria as screaming crowds desperately pelted the animal with rocks in 2020.

The little boy had been playing by the shore in Mbita, Kenya, as adults washed clothes nearby.

Footage shows the child submerged in the murky water as residents helplessly cried out.

The animal eventually released the boy but he died from his injuries.

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Moment woman ignores warning not to approach wild hippo… before enraged beast charges and knocks her down

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