Hippo swallows toddler, then spits him out alive

A two-year-old boy who was swallowed whole by a rogue hippopotamus in Uganda somehow survived. After a bystander threw stones at the animal, the hippo spit the toddler back out, according to a police report cited by Capital FM Uganda.

The child was reportedly playing on the margins of a lake near his home in Katwe Kabatoro town on December 4 when the ravenous hippo grabbed him up with its powerful jaws. 

Chrispas Bagonza, a bystander, started throwing boulders at the beast before it could consume the child fully. The boy was "vomited" back up by the animal as a result, Capital FM Uganda continued.

The beast snatched the child by the head and gobbled half of his body, according to the police, who named the child as Iga Paul. 

They stated that the youngster suffered hand injuries and had been sent to the hospital for additional care. 

"The victim received emergency treatment for hand injuries at a nearby clinic before being taken to Bwera Hospital for additional care. After obtaining a rabies vaccination, he made a full recovery and was allowed to go home. After that, the police gave him to his parents," the officials said in a statement.

However, a police spokeswoman cautioned parents staying near wildlife areas, such as lakes, to be alert for stray animals that could harm them, like crocodiles and hippos.

Despite being herbivores, hippopotamuses may become rather hostile when provoked. They have also been seen charging at boats and canoes and assaulting them. 

In one incident that went viral on the internet, three lions tried to cross the Selinda Reserve spillway in Botswana a few months ago, but an enraged hippo stopped them. The incident's video was uploaded on YouTube by the Great Plains Conservation, which described it as "an unforgettable event."

According to AZ Animals, hippo attacks cause roughly 500 human fatalities each year in Africa. There are a startlingly large number of them, outnumbering almost every other mammal on the earth. Hippos are among the deadliest land animals in the world, they believe.