A newborn hippo, just days old, was keeping close to its mother when a large bull hippo suddenly made a beeline for them. He chased the mother away and went after the calf, seizing it violently in his huge gape, clearly intent on killing it. ‘All the while, the distraught mother looked on helplessly,’ says Adrian.
Infanticide among hippos is rare but not unknown. It usually occurs when hippos travel beyond their territory and mix with new groups. By killing the young that are not his, it is believed that a male can increase his reproductive success by bringing females into estrus, ready to mate with him. ADRIAN HIRSCHI IMAGE
A brutal gruesome image. Not something you see on nature shows or Disney.
I didn’t know hippos did this. I knew that big cats and primates, including us, did but hopefully it is rare.