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In 1996, the first record of a hippo eating meat stunned researchers. Since then, observers have recorded them doing so several times.
In this video, a hippo tries to bully a pack of wild dogs off their meal. Read further to discover the outcome of this unusual behaviour.
Brad van Aswegen sent this video, which he filmed in the Timbavati Nature Reserve, to Latest Sightings.
Hangry hippo
The opening shot of Brad’s video shows a hippo standing on the bank of a waterhole with its mouth agape. In front of it, three wild dogs are busy devouring an unknown kill.
By opening its jaws wide, the hippo is making a threatening gesture towards the dogs. We assume that it wants to drive the dogs away from the remains.
Not bothered
However, the dogs seem completely unperturbed by the hippo and continue gulping down chunks of flesh that they strip from the carcass. Wild dogs are notoriously fast eaters, able to consume an entire impala in a matter of minutes.
Consequently, the hippo decides to up the ante by advancing on the dogs. In turn, the frenzied feeders barely seem to notice.
Bad reputation
Consequently, the hippo appears perplexed. Hippos are notoriously aggressive when they need to be. And, given their size, most other animals give them a wide berth.
Whatever the case, the wild dogs clearly didn’t get the memo. They, too, have needs. With an extremely high metabolism, they need to kill twice a day to sustain themselves.
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If at first you don’t succeed…
Subsequently, the hippo decides to try again. Once more, it advances on the dogs. And once again, they all but ignore it.
Running out of options, the hippo tries its gaping move for a second time. True to form, by now, the dogs aren’t fazed in the least.
As a result, the hippo tries advancing on the dogs once more. This time, it does elicit a response from the dogs, but probably not the one it had been hoping for.
Instead of relinquishing the remains to the pesky intruder, they drag them further away. Although hippo faces aren’t known for expressiveness, it almost looks as though this one is starting to sulk. “Why won’t they share with me?”
As the video comes to an end, the hippo stands alone, a rather forlorn figure, while the dogs continue to feed.
The big question is, why would they do so?
As mentioned, hippos are on record as opportunistic meat-eaters. For the most part, researchers have recorded them feeding on carrion, although some records show them killing and eating other animals.
They have even been known to eat the meat of other hippos.
Researchers believe it may be a stress response during droughts or food shortages. While they may derive some nutritional benefits from eating, by and large, the cons outweigh the pros.
However, it’s also believed that it is not good for them to eat too much meat. Simply put, their digestive systems are designed to process plant matter, not high-protein meat.
Furthermore, they risk falling ill, particularly if anthrax has infected the flesh.
From that perspective, it looks like the dogs may have done the hippo a favour.
