Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what s clicking on Foxnews.com.
A South African farmer was reportedly mauled to death on Sunday by his pet hippo, which he had previously referred to as like a son to me.
Marius Els, who lived in the Free State province of South Africa was found dead in a river, having been bitten repeatedly by the animal. Marius Els with his pet hippo Humphrey at his farm in Free State, South Africa. (Getty Images)
Els, 40, had adopted the hippo, whom he had named Humphrey, when it was found as a calf. Earlier this year footage of Els riding the more than 2,000-pound beast went viral.
“He’s like a son to me”: Man mauled to death by pet hippo in South Africa
The story of a man mauled to death by his pet hippo has resurfaced from 2011, and people are just as shocked.
In November of 2011, South African farmer Marius Els was mauled to death by his own pet hippo. He had adopted the hippo named Humphrey six years before when it was found as a calf.
Ambulance service spokesman Jeffrey Wicks said of the incident to The Mirror: “Paramedics responded to the scene to find that the man had been bitten several times by the animal. It had also been immersed in the river for an unknown period.”
“Humphrey the Hippo” was “like a son” to 40-year-old Marius Els, a South African farmer.
Els adopted the dangerous beast when it was found as a calf. He raised it, nurtured it, and regularly went for rides on the good ole Humphrey’s back.
“It’s a little bit dangerous, but I trust him with my heart that he will not harm anybody,” Els recently said in an interview with the Daily Mirror. “I can swim with him. I go in the water. He allows me to get on his back, and I ride him like a horse. He swims with me.”
Man mauled to death by pet hippo he described as like a son 3 months ago
Marius Els was mauled to death by his pet hippo, who he was filmed riding earlier this year [Photo: Barcroft Media via Getty Images]
A man has been mauled to death by his pet hippo - who he previously described as like a son to me . Farmer Marius Els was found dead in a river after being repeatedly bitten by the huge animal, who weighs more than a ton.
Mr Els, from the Free State province in South Africa, had adopted the hippo, named Humphrey, and footage of him riding him went viral earlier this year. He died on Sunday after being mauled and dragged into the Vaal River close to his home by the six-year-old animal.
Man mauled to death by pet hippo who he would ride and described as 'like a son' 247.libero.it - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from 247.libero.it Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.