A harrowing video has emerged of a hippopotamus dragging a child to his death in Lake Victoria, Kenya as crowds screamed and pelted the animal with stones.
The minor boy had been playing by the shore when the animal assaulted him.
In the video clip, filmed on September 16, the animal can be seen carrying the child into the lake as adults washing clothes nearby scream and cry out helplessly.
WARNING: The following video contains images that some viewers may find upsetting
Footage further shows the child submerged in the murky water. Residents started hurling stones and sticks at the hippo, due to which the animal dragged the boy further out into the water.
The animal eventually released the boy but he died from his injuries. The boy’s body was later recovered.
“For the last four months, the hippos have been terrorising residents and making it impossible for fishermen to run their errands during the evening,” a resident said. Local authorities have recently asked the Kenya Wildlife Service to intervene and station a response team nearby for more immediate action.
