Fact Check: True Story of a South African Farmer Killed by a Wild Hippopotamus He Rescued

Claim:

A man in South Africa who rescued a baby hippo and raised it died after the animal mauled him several years later.

Rating:

For more than a decade, social media users have shared the story of a man in South Africa who reportedly adopted a baby hippopotamus that later killed him. Social media posts on Reddit and X in particular have highlighted this tale, with some accounts even suggesting that the semiaquatic mammal named Humphrey ate and drowned the South African man.

On the Reddit community "Today I Learned," the story of Marius Els and Humphrey the hippopotamus was posted 11 years ago, along with the headline, "A man in South Africa adopted a baby hippo, domesticated it, only to be killed by said hippo in the very river from which it was rescued."

(pimentocheese_sammy/reddit)

"It was tamed, not domesticated," wrote the top commenter on that Reddit post, to which another responded, "Much like tigers, bears, wolves, etc. Its still wild, its not tamed. The person just placates it enough [with food, shelter, attention, etc] that it doesnt see reason to kill them."

A video post from FascinateFlix on X also recounted the incident, providing a clip featuring Els playing with Humphrey and showing the affectionate yet unpredictable nature of the hippo. According to that post, "In 2005, a South African man, Marius Els, adopted a baby hippo after rescuing it from a river. In this clip they can be seen playing together. But 6 years later, the hippo dragged him into that same river and ate him."

While authorities disproved the assertion that the hippo ate Els, the overarching claim is true: A man in South Africa adopted a baby hippo and raised it before the animal killed him several years later.

The story of Els, a farmer in Free State, South Africa, reportedly rescuing and adopting the wild hippo, which he named "Humphrey," came to light after the farmer's death.

Els had rescued Humphrey in 2005 from a flood when the animal was just 5 months old. Despite apparent warnings about the dangers of keeping a wild animal as a pet, Els developed a close bond with Humphrey, treating him as part of the family. He often spoke about their unique relationship, even riding Humphrey around his 400-acre farm.

"Humphrey's like a son to me, he's just like a human," Els said in 2011, according to the Daily Mail. "There's a relationship between me and Humphrey and that's what some people don't understand.

"They think you can only have a relationship with dogs, cats and domestic animals," he continued. "But I have a relationship with the most dangerous animal in Africa."

However, local news in South Africa reported that Humphrey mauled Els to death on Nov. 12, 2011. According to multiple reports, the attack occurred on the banks of the same river where Els had originally rescued the hippo, with the farmer's lifeless body covered in multiple bite marks Humphrey inflicted.

But the hippo hadn't eaten Els, as some social media accounts erroneously reported. According to a 2011 Sky News report:

A detailed article in The Guardian confirmed the incident days after it happened, providing an account of Els' relationship with Humphrey and the fatal attack, emphasizing the inherent risks of keeping deadly animals as pets.

YouTube videos, like this one from When Animals Attack documenting Els' interactions with Humphrey, provided visual evidence of their unusual relationship.

Snopes has previously reported on shocking animal attacks, including our exclusive report on an Alaskan man who survived a bear attack, and a girl who died when an elephant in an enclosure threw a rock that hit her in the head.

Sources:

"Did a Pet Hippo Kill and Eat His Owner Six Years after He Was 'Adopted' as per Viral Message? Here Are the Details." OpIndia, OpIndia, 6 June 2021, https://www.opindia.com/2021/06/mauris-els-hippo-ate-owner/.

Lavender, Jane. "Horrific Injuries of Farmer Mauled to Death by Pet Hippo Who Was 'like a Son.'" The Mirror, 15 May 2020, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/horrific-injuries-farmer-mauled-death-22022594.

Leveled Reading Passage: Top-10 Countdown: Africa's Most Deadly Animals (Hard) | RIF.Org. https://www.rif.org/literacy-central/reading-experience/leveled-reading-passage-top-10-countdown-africa%E2%80%99s-most-deadly-0. Accessed 21 May 2024.

Newling, Dan. "Farmer Gouged to Death by Pet Hippo Humphrey Who Was 'like a Son to Him.'" Mail Online, 14 Nov. 2011, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2061286/Farmer-Marius-Els-gouged-death-pet-hippo-Humphrey-like-son.html.

---. "Farmer Gouged to Death by Pet Hippo Humphrey Who Was 'like a Son to Him.'" Mail Online, 14 Nov. 2011, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2061286/Farmer-Marius-Els-gouged-death-pet-hippo-Humphrey-like-son.html.

News, A. B. C. "Pet Hippo Kills Its Owner." ABC News, http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2011/11/pet-hippo-kills-its-owner. Accessed 21 May 2024.

"Pet Hippo Humphrey Mauls His Owner To Death." Sky News, https://news.sky.com/story/pet-hippo-humphrey-mauls-his-owner-to-death-10483897. Accessed 21 May 2024.

Smith, David. "Humphrey the Pet Hippo Kills Owner in South Africa." The Guardian, 14 Nov. 2011. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/14/pet-hippo-humphrey-kills-owner.

"Victim Warned about 'pet' Hippo." News24, https://www.news24.com/news24/victim-warned-about-pet-hippo-20111114. Accessed 21 May 2024.

When Animals Attack. The HORRIFYING Last Moments Of Marius Els: MAULED By A Hippo. 2022. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRDfQHHv4XE.

"X.Com." X (Formerly Twitter), https://x.com/AfricanHub_/status/1776348037075325065. Accessed 21 May 2024.