Hippo bite kills Taiwan tourist in Kenya

A hippo has killed a Taiwanese tourist and injured another after they attempted to photograph the animal at a Kenyan wildlife resort. The BBC reports that the 66-year-old man, Chang Ming Chuang, was stalking the animal on Lake Naivasha – 56 miles (90km) north-west of Nairobi. Stood on the shore of the lake, the man was reportedly taking photographs before the hippo attacked and bit him in the chest, causing him to “bleed profusely.” The man was then pronounced dead on arrival at the Naivasha District Hospital, with his associate surviving, but sustaining injuries.

Witnesses on the scene said that the photographers had come too close to the animal near the Sopa Hotel, which in turn provoked it to attack. After a period of tracking, the Kenyan Wildlife Service shot the hippo dead.

Despite their seemingly sluggish appearance, hippos are in fact incredibly agile and quick to attack humans.

Hippos, however, play a key role in their local ecology, by spreading their dung and stirring up riverbeds. Regardless, they are at risk of poaching and illegal hunting activities, as well as habitat loss – resulting in a vulnerable IUCN status.