A tragic incident in South Africa resulted in the death of a farmer, Marius Els, who was killed by his pet hippopotamus, despite numerous warnings that the animal was inherently wild and incapable of being fully tamed. Els, a 40- year- old army major, had raised the hippopotamus, which weighed 1. 2 tonnes, from a young age. He had named the animal Humphrey and attempted to domesticate it on his farm located in the Free State province.

The horrific event unfolded when Els' s body was discovered submerged in a river, an area where the hippo had once been rescued from a flood years earlier. At the time of its rescue, the hippopotamus had been far too large for the people who initially adopted it. They eventually sold the animal to Els when it was just five months old, and it became a part of his family on his 400- acre farm. The hippo grew accustomed to swimming with Els and others who were around him.

Earlier in the year, photos had surfaced showing Els riding on the back of the five- year- old hippo, proudly declaring that Humphrey was like a son to him. " Humphrey' s like a son to me, he' s just like a human, " Els had said. " There' s a relationship between me and Humphrey, and that' s something some people don' t understand. They believe a relationship can only exist with domestic animals like dogs or cats. But I share a bond with the most dangerous animal in Africa. "