This was apparently a hungry, hungry hippo. It certainly was angry, angry, angry.
The agitated animal attempted to sink its choppers into a safari vehicle, an aggressive action that was caught on video at the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana.
According to USA Today, the hippo had apparently just lost a territorial battle and was looking to blow off steam on “on whatever was nearby.” The vehicle, loaded with tourists, became the target for the frustrated hippo.
Matimba Just Safari captured footage of the hippo as it charged the vehicle and posted it on Facebook.
The animal left a large dent on the back right panel of the vehicle as it was navigating through the preserve, USA Today reported.
“It’s rare to witness a hippo charging a safari vehicle,” Matimba Just Safari wrote on its post. “There are probably only a handful of videos like this online.
“But in the bush, everything depends on timing and the exact situation you find yourself in.”
Looking back at the incident, safari workers noted that one of the hippo’s tusks had been knocked out of place, confirming the belief that the animal had been in a fight. The guide driving the vehicle reacted quickly, preventing further damage and keeping the visitors out of harm’s way.
“Our guide read the situation perfectly, noticing the hippo’s strange behavior in a split second, he hit the gas just in time to get us out of harm’s way,” the company wrote in its post. “A reminder that in the wild, you’re never watching a show. You’re stepping into an animal’s world, and sometimes you arrive in the middle of a story that started long before you got there.”
© 2026 Cox Media Group
