Our readers share very interesting photos of the animal kingdom, and in 2018, this incident that unfolded before Johan Hamman from Middelburg and his wife, Marita, sparked a very interesting question about the behaviour of hippos.
Johan recounts: We watched this incident for an hour at the low-water bridge near the Lower Sabie rest camp in the Kruger. A crocodile caught and drowned the zebra. Two of the hippos pushed the zebra with their mouths to shallower water and then tried to lift it.
They bit carefully and did not damage the skin at all. After a while, they gave up and moved to deeper water. When the hippos left, the catfish immediately started eating the hindquarters. The crocodile moved closer quickly but stealthily.
When the hippos noticed the crocodile, one charged at it. The crocodile went to wait on the side. They tried again to help the zebra. Later, we drove away to make room for other curious onlookers.
We returned the next day - but there was nothing left of the carcass..
Wildlife expert L.D. VAN ESSEN answers: Of course, we cannot know exactly what goes on in an animal's mind, but unfortunately, animals are not terribly altruistic. The hippo was probably trying to bite the zebra! Hippos have impressive teeth, but they are not designed to tear meat.
Nevertheless, it is well documented that hippos will scavenge from carcasses. There are even cases where hippos kill and eat animals, steal carcasses from lions, and engage in cannibalism.
They likely chase the crocodile away to protect their meat source and not for the zebra's sake. It is uncertain why they sometimes eat meat in addition to their grass diet.
It is suspected that food scarcity during a drought or mineral deficiencies, especially iron, may play a role, or it is simply opportunistic behavior to supplement protein.
This article originally appeared in July 2018. Facts and details may have changed since then - feel free to let us know at digitaal@weg.co.za if you notice anything.
