A two-year-old boy in Uganda miraculously survived being swallowed alive by a hippopotamus.
The boy, named Paul Iga, was playing near his home by the shores of Lake Edward, where the hippo was residing, The Telegraph reports.
According to Ugandan police, the animal then ‘grabbed the boy from the head and swallowed half of his body’.
Thankfully local man Chrispas Bagonza saw what was happening and began pelting the animal with stones.
The hippo spat out Paul before lumbering back towards the lake.
The little boy was rushed to a nearby clinic to treat the injuries he had received during the attack.
He was then taken to a hospital in Bwera, which lies close to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Posting a picture of Paul, Dralasaluke Godfrey said: ‘Iga Paul the two-year-old juvenile from Katwe who was half swallowed by a hippopotamus has gained consciousness and doing well. God is great.’
Ugandan police said it was the first known time a hippo had come out of Lake Edward to try and eat a human.
They said: ‘This is the first such kind of incident where a hippo strayed out of Lake Edward and attacked a young child.’
‘Although the hippo was scared back into the lake, all residents near animal sanctuaries and habitats should know that wild animals are very dangerous.
‘Instinctively, wild animals see humans as a threat and any interaction can cause them to act strangely or aggressively.’
Hippos are notoriously grumpy and have a short temper, making them one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.
They do attack humans and kill around 500 people every year, despite often arousing far less fear than other big animals in Africa.
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