Image:New York Times
A two-year-old boy, Paul Iga was swallowed by a hippo which later vomited him out in fear when a local threw stones at it.
The boy was playing at Lake Edward near his home in Uganda when the hippo held him captive in its mouth, just a few hundred yards away from the edge of Lake Edward, Uganda, The Telegraph reports.
Fortunately, Christmas Bagonza, a terrified local, saw what was happening and started throwing stones at the hippo to stop it.
The hippo seemed startled by this and vomited up the toddler- after swallowing half of him – before trudging back to the water.
Paul was injured but managed to survive the attack after being taken to a hospital in Bwera for treatment. He has since been released after receiving a rabies vaccine at the hospital.
In a statement, Ugandan Police said: ‘This is the first such incident where a hippo strayed out of Lake Edward and attacked a young child.
"It took the bravery of one Chrispas Bagonza, who was nearby, to save the victim after he stoned the hippo and scared it, causing it to release the victim from its mouth."
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