A lion stranded on a rock in a South African river was attacked by a huge hippopotamus, prompting the big cat to frantically try to swim to safety. (Watch the video below.)
Veteran guide Steyn Jacobsohn’s video of the Kruger National Park encounter quickly went viral when it was posted to YouTube this week.
The clip begins with the lion lying on a small rock as many hippos approach. A particularly large one emerged from the depths and repeatedly slammed the lion’s head.
The lion jumped off the rock and swam towards him. But not without drama.
As he approached the shore, a hippo burst to the surface just behind him in a possible failed attack, but the lion continued to head for land.
A lone lion against even an adult hippopotamus is a bad bet, especially in water. This beleaguered big cat — likely a young nomad who has yet to establish his own territory, Jacobsohn said — learned the hard way to take a chance wandering a river of hippos.
