There have been a few news reports lately about tourists being attacked by dangerous animals. An eight-year-old boy was attacked by a shark in the Caribbean, and most recently, a woman was pulled underwater and injured by a hippopotamus.
Kristen Yaldor was floating down the Zambezi River with her husband, Ryan, and two tour guides when they unknowingly went over a mother hippo and her calf.
The mother hippo overturned the boat throwing everyone into the Zambezi River. Unfortunately, Kristen was flung toward the hippo.
"Kristen was pulled under as soon as she hit the water," Ryan told the Metro. "She had no opportunity to swim to shore."
While Ryan got to shore safely, Kristen was attacked by the hippo, who bit her thigh and crushed her femur. Somehow, she was able to escape and make it to shore.
It took an hour for a medical helicopter to arrive and 13 more hours for Kristen to get to the hospital.
Kristen remains in intensive care and is lucky to be alive. The hippo's flattened front teeth clamped on Kristen's thigh, instead of its incisors.
Her father-in-law Martine Yaldor, a South African native, said, "'If one of those (incisor) teeth hit her femoral artery, we would probably be planning a funeral today. By all accounts, she was incredibly lucky."
Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo confirmed Kristen's attack and warned tourists to stay away from wild animals.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
