Weird and Wacky Wednesday: “Hippo Swallows Boy Whole, Spits Him Out”

(Katwe Kabatoro, Uganda)  —  A hungry hippopotamus in Uganda swallowed a toddler whole before spitting the child out.  Police say the two-year-old boy was playing in his family’s house near Uganda’s western border when the animal attacked and swallowed him head-first.  A man who saw what happened threw rocks at the hippo.  The startled animal regurgitated the child then retreated to Lake Edward, about a half-mile away.  The boy was taken to a hospital and given a rabies vaccine as a precaution, then sent home with his parents.  Hippos are plant-eaters but can be very aggressive and are considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.  They can attack people if they feel threatened and it’s estimated that hippos kill around 500 people every year.