For the first time in their lives, three young hippos faced a gigantic elephant by the banks of the Umfolozi River in South Africa.
Evan Malsbury captured this thrilling moment of the young hippos crossing the Umfolozi River in South Africa.
This is the first time in their lives that hippos have faced such a large elephant.
The three young hippos were crossing the river together. However, upon reaching the opposite bank, they encountered a significant obstacle: an elephant standing not far away.
This was the first time in their lives that the hippos faced such a large elephant. Initially, the elephant seemed unaware of its surroundings, lowering its head and moving along. But upon hearing a noise, it quickly raised its head and spotted the three hippos in the murky river water.
The three hippos stumbled up the riverbank towards the area where the elephant was standing, but they quickly realized their mistake. The gigantic elephant took a step forward, growling, yet the hippos showed no sign of fear.
Seizing the moment when the hippos were distracted, the large elephant charged forward, moving quickly and growling, causing the two hippos closest to it to panic and run away.
However, it wasn’t until the elephant charged a third time that the remaining hippo finally sprinted into the water. The three hippos tried to swim as fast as possible across the river, not daring to look back at the elephant.
Evan Malsbury stated: “I was on a river cruise with my travel group. I was watching the giant elephant walking alone on the bank. At the same time, three young hippos appeared in the water. The encounter was brief but quite exciting. We couldn’t help but laugh at the hippos’ reactions.”
According to the boat captain and tour company director, spotting elephants along the river during the cruise is quite unusual, so everyone on board was thrilled and eager to find the best spots for a clearer view.
The elephant appeared alone before the trio of hippos approached. The young hippos were certainly no match for the elephant, but fortunately, no one was harmed.
Evan Malsbury’s trip to South Africa lasted 14 days. It is known that the young hippos are learning how to interact with large creatures in their territory, such as elephants.
