Hippo Charges At Tourists On Safari In Botswana's Okavango Delta (VIDEO) (GRAPHIC LANGUAGE)

A hippo charges at a group of tourists on safari in Botswana.

Armed with an erratic temper and deadly teeth, hippos have a well-earned reputation for charging at humans, especially if their territory is invaded.

And this angry hippo makes no exceptions for a group of tourists in this astonishing video.

Traveling in an open-roofed jeep, the group watches the hippo while driving along the African bush.

Then, without a moments notice, the animal barges toward them at an impressive speed, prompting someone to shout, "Oh s***!"

Remarkably, the group escaped without harm. But according to the YouTube description, it was quite a close call: The animal pierced a hole in the side of the jeep and almost took a chunk out of one tourist's leg.

The incident took place at the Okavango Delta in Botswana, notes the Daily Mail.

Adapted to both land and water, the creature is one of the most dangerous in the world, according to National Geographic.

In 2006, the hippopotamus was added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources's Red List of Threatened Species.

Deemed a vulnerable species by the IUCN, the animal has seen a 7 to 20 percent decline in population over the past 10 years, a drop largely attributed to poaching.

Also on HuffPost:

From our partners

• Widespread Greenland Melting A Sign Of Things To Come - Climate Central
• Limiting Methane Leaks Critical To Gas, Climate Benefits - Climate Central
• 11 Images And Facts About A Misunderstood Creature - Mother Nature Network

Comments

[KeepNIt2Real]

03:14 PM on 04/09/2012

I meant charging...lol

[KeepNIt2Real]

03:18 PM on 04/09/2012

wow..wondering how my first statement got deleted? "Wow...that's a lot of animal charging at cha..."

[KeepNIt2Real]

03:14 PM on 04/09/2012

That's a lot of animal charing at cha....

[hanerau]

03:37 AM on 04/09/2012

You have to appreciate the paradoxical nature of the hippo: a rotund, docile-looking animal responsible for the greatest number of human animal deaths in Africa that can take on a pride of lions and bite a crocodile in half.

[Justice4allthatisgood]

11:52 PM on 04/07/2012

I'm glad the Trump family wasn't there...they would have killed it.

[strive4impact]

05:16 PM on 04/07/2012

Wow. I have never seen a hippo run like that.

They always seem so tame when you see them in the zoo.

Much better to go out and see these animals in the wild, but good that these tourists weren't seriously injured.

Jonathan
http://www.EnglishTeaLeaves.com

[lensamy]

12:52 PM on 04/07/2012

Hippos can be dangerous, please stay away from them!

[simon Bar]

11:55 AM on 04/07/2012

Don't mess with the Hippo-Hurricane -Hollllllllllllllllller!

[OH canada]

11:07 AM on 04/07/2012

he must've thought bush was in the truck

[Zoyx]

08:34 AM on 04/07/2012

Over 300 people per year killed by hippos. Sharks 5-10.

[hoocheekoo]

08:17 AM on 04/07/2012

I've been to the Okavango Delta and, yes, we were sharply warned about the hippos. Very deceptive animals. Highly recommend Botswana, by the way, for a wildlife adventure. Never saw a paved road, everything bows to the ecosystem and the environment is highly protected by the government. It was recommended over Kenya to me and the adventure did not disappoint. I'll never forget it.

[freddsky]

06:42 AM on 04/07/2012

Two reasons why Hippo might be angry

1. the video of "yummy tourists" on his ipad, both intrusive and sucky, as predictable, took too long to play and when it did, gave birth to stills rather than animation

2. he didn't have his camera so angry at self

At no time was he really angry with these curious creatures in their strange rolling cage. It was so funny to tap and see them scream with delight, but it proved unnecessary to actually eat one,

[Brooke Shils]

01:07 AM on 04/07/2012

Is the idea of ​​puberty who is dying of Ceuta more people in the wilds of Africa
hippos

[Cydsterie]

12:56 AM on 04/07/2012

Awesome! Hippos always were my favorite animal and it is neat to sea one charging full speed ahead. I always see them at the zoo being lazy floating around in their huge aquatic enclosures.

[Bobotheclown]

12:48 AM on 04/07/2012

Hippo was just playing around. What's more fun than scaring a bunch of rich tourists?

[KeepNIt2Real]

03:17 PM on 04/09/2012

haha!

[ChezMJ]

12:47 AM on 04/07/2012

Hippos kill more people than any animal in Africa. They are also VERY fast. Do not get between a hippo that is on land & the water!

[niko73]

04:14 PM on 04/09/2012

You're almost correct. They don't kill more people than mosquitos.