The "pet hippo" has caused quite a bit of trouble. In the design of rural small villas, Els once said proudly: "'Humphrey' could easily tear me apart, but it's like my son. Others may never understand the relationship between us." Despite frequent warnings from friends that playing with such a ferocious animal was extremely dangerous, Els always turned a deaf ear. His wife, pharmacist Louise, had also repeatedly warned him not to always trust 'Humphrey', as it was still a very dangerous wild beast. One of the proudest moments in Els' life was being able to ride across the river on his big pet.
Marius Els, 41 years old, came from the Free State Province of South Africa. He was a retired colonel who ran a 400-acre farm. About five years ago, a fierce flood reached his doorstep, and Els saved a five-month-old baby hippo from the river running through his farm, naming it "Humphrey."
This man from South Africa rescued a five-month-old baby hippo five years ago, raising it as a pet until it grew to be six years old. A few months ago, this heartwarming story was reported by major media outlets worldwide, touching countless people. However, tragedy eventually struck when the man was bitten to death by the hippo he raised from infancy, his body floating in the river. The world couldn't help but exclaim: this is a real-life version of "The Farmer and the Snake."
In fact, "Humphrey" had caused trouble multiple times. In March of this year, a 52-year-old man and his seven-year-old grandson were relentlessly chased by "Humphrey" while boating near the river close to the farm. To avoid the attack, the grandfather and grandson climbed up a tree and stayed there for two hours. Eventually, Els lured "Humphrey" away with an apple, saving the pair. As "Humphrey" grew rapidly in height and weight, it seemed unable to tolerate the confines of the livestock pen on the ranch anymore, occasionally biting through fences, sometimes even chasing people playing golf at a nearby club onto the grass, or attacking calves belonging to his business partner.
On Els' enormous farm, more than 20 kinds of wild animals were raised simultaneously, including giraffes, buffaloes, bison, and rhinos. Yet he showed particular affection towards the hippo "Humphrey." As "Humphrey" grew larger, Els specifically constructed a 200-meter wide, 18-meter deep artificial lake so that "Humphrey" could freely roll around and move about.
It’s no wonder some media have exclaimed that thrill-seeking Els was ultimately torn apart by his beloved pet hippo "Humphrey," weighing 1.2 tons, making this a real-life version of "The Farmer and the Snake." It is understood that hippos are considered one of the most dangerous animals in the world, especially young ones. They usually do not show obvious signs of provocation before attacking humans, often launching sudden attacks and killing with their massive canines. An adult hippo can weigh up to 3 tons and run at speeds of 30 miles per hour.
However, all these dangers were seen as coincidences by Els and never raised any alarm. In his eyes, "Humphrey" was merely a "gentle giant." With just a gentle whistle, it would obediently follow its owner home. What no one could have dreamed of is that this beloved pet hippo of Els' would send him to his grave. Recently, during training, "Humphrey" inexplicably became wildly aggressive, dragging its owner into the river and biting him to death. It wasn't until the 12th of this month that Els' incomplete remains were discovered in the mud by the side of the river flowing through his farm. Heartbreakingly, over five years ago, it was along the same river that he had saved the "murderer."
In the blink of an eye, "Humphrey" had grown from a little calf into a 1200-kilogram behemoth. However, in front of its owner, "Humphrey" was a tame and obedient baby. Els could feed it apples directly by hand and even bathe with it intimately. But what Els loved to boast about most was riding across the river on Humphrey's back. Before each "ride," the owner would always reward the "pet hippo" with a whole box of fruit, and the latter seemed to live quite contentedly in this world.