A British man, Roland Cherry, 63, narrowly survived a terrifying hippo attack while on a river safari in Zambia, just two weeks after the same animal had killed a local fisherman. Roland and his wife Shirley were enjoying their safari when the hippo, weighing approximately 1.4 tons, rammed into their canoe, throwing Roland into the air and leaving him with a dislocated shoulder.
While Shirley managed to swim to the riverbank, Roland was stranded in the water, at the mercy of the enraged hippo, which was protecting its calf nearby. The hippo dragged Roland to the bottom of the river and then tossed him into the air a second time. Miraculously, he was able to scramble to safety and was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
It was later revealed that the same hippo had attacked a fishing boat two weeks earlier, killing one fisherman, who was then eaten by a crocodile after being thrown into the water. Despite the earlier fatal attack, the couple had not been informed of the danger during their pre-safari briefing.
Roland, who is now recovering at his home in Tysoe, Warwickshire, expressed his frustration at not being told about the previous attack. He and his wife had experience with kayaking in England and Wales but were unaware of the mortal danger they faced on the Zambezi River. “Had we known, we wouldn’t have set foot in the canoe,” he said.
Despite his ordeal, Roland has chosen not to take legal action against the tour operators. Instead, he is focused on raising £20,000 for Mtendere Mission Hospital, which treated him after the attack. So far, he has raised over £16,000 and is determined to turn the traumatic experience into something positive.
Roland still bears the scars from the attack, including a 10-inch bite wound on his stomach and injuries to his thigh and shoulder. Nonetheless, he remains positive about Africa as a tourist destination, humorously advising future visitors to “go in a bigger boat.”
The attack highlights the deadly nature of hippos, which kill up to 3,000 people each year.
