As this encounter between a pack of African wild dogs, a baby antelope and a hippo reveals, these extremely territorial creatures have a bit of a dark side. The footage was filmed at Mala Mala Game Reserve in South Africa by quick-thinking game ranger Pieter Van Wyk. Not for the faint of heart, the video provides a gruesome glimpse into the realities of animal life in the wild.
It all started when a group of wild dogs got hold of the antelope near a muddy river and looked ready to make a meal of the animal. That’s when the hippo came racing in to investigate the disturbance in its territory — giving the antelope an opportunity to escape the jaws of the ravenous predators and run into the water for safety.
At first, it appeared that the hippo might rescue the antelope as it chased the wild dogs away. However, the dogs were persistent, and when several kept approaching the river’s edge, things took a deadly turn.
Out of nowhere, the angry hippo seized the antelope between its massive jaws and violently thrashed the unlucky animal until it lay lifeless in the mud. Whether the hippo mistook the antelope for one of the dogs or simply got tired of the intruder is unclear — but one thing is for certain, hippos generally do not tolerate other animals in their space.
With a bite force of 8,100 newtons and extremely sharp teeth that can grow to nearly 2 feet long, these giant creatures are among the deadliest in Africa. While they are primarily herbivores, they are highly aggressive and will not hesitate to kill other animals when they feel threatened. Unfortunately for the young antelope, it apparently doesn’t take much to piss one off either.
