[imagesource: YouTube / SWNS]
I’m not bothered if you’re judging me for that headline.
Sometimes, you have to take the rough with the smooth.
Let’s get the basics sorted, before we look at how this story was covered around the world.
Local site Getaway kept things very simple, teeing up the video below by saying it was filmed by Brandon Reed, and shared on Twitter by Lembani Travels.
That will do for us, so let’s see how this chase played out, with the action kicking in around the 25-second mark:
Me and my missus got chased by this hippo in Livingstone this last weekend. Chased us for 200m
: Brandon Reed.
— Lembani Travels (@LembaniTraveler) May 28, 2021
In the replies, Lembani Travels said that the chase ended with the hippo returning to its pod.
The Indian Express also says the video was shot by Reed in Zambia, but here’s where things get a little confusing.
According to The Mirror, the footage was shot by 27-year-old Dicken Muchena, who was on a trip with three of his friends on May 28, on Lake Victoria in Kenya.
That story includes an interview with Muchena:
“There were at least six hippos in that area, and many others on various other parts of the lake.
“However, as we were leaving, a huge, agitated hippo appeared from nowhere and charged at us, seemingly with savage motives…
“It was lucky we were in a speedboat. After being charged at for at least four minutes, we could no longer see the animal trails, and we rushed to safety on shore.”
The Sun also states that the encounter took place in Kenya.
The footage both sites use comes from the YouTube channel SWNS, which states that “the shocking incident took place on May 23 on the Zambezi River in Livingstone, Zambia”.
On that basis, it would appear that The Mirror and The Sun have their wires crossed.
