Mayhem Breaks Out At the River When Crocodiles Attack Wildebeest

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It’s always nice to be able to prepare for the tragedy that might befall us in life. Perhaps we can adequately prepare for a massive hurricane coming in a few days or prepare for a job we know we are going to quit. However, that’s not how life’s hand is always dealt with. Sometimes a tree falls into our house, or we are fired from a job without notice. Well, animals in the wild do not always get to prepare for the terrible things that happen to them, either. Sometimes, predators pop up out of nowhere and mayhem breaks out. 

Crocodile Hunt In Africa

The YouTube video clip shown at the top of this blog post takes us to Africa where the Nile crocodile and wildebeest reside. The Here and There YouTube channel shared this video with their 69,000+ subscribers. Their most recent video shorts are of hippos, seagulls, and lions. 

Hippos Save Wildebeest From Crocodiles

At the start of the video shown above, we see a herd of wildebeest gathered together to drink at the river. The phrase safety in numbers rings true for animals in the wild. When they are together they are able to support each other by finding new food, protection against predators, and also the safety of long travels. 

According to the National Library of Federation, animals that have herds are “caribou, sheep, bison, elk, pronghorn and the ungulates of Africa.” These herds can be anywhere from under 10 to thousands of members. And in the case of the great wildebeest migration, over a million. 

Suddenly, crocodiles pop up out of the water and grab a wildebeest. And while the herd scatters, this lone wildebeest is being dragged to a certain death. With a bite force of 3,700 PSI (pounds per square inch), this wildebeest has no hope of escaping unless he is rescued. But, lucky for this wildebeest, there happened to be a herd of hippos nearby, and they quickly intervened. Sending the crocodiles fleeing. 

Do Hippos Eat Meat?

In many cases, when predators intervene, it is to take the prey for themselves. However, that’s not why the hippos got in between the crocodiles and the wildebeest in the video above. They were clearly saving this wildebeest from death, most likely because the crocodiles were intervening in their territory. 

Hippos are traditionally labeled as herbivore eaters. However, according to research such as from the Scientific American, “Hippos eat meat more than had been thought…But it turns out that hungry, hungry hippos intentionally seek out the sweet, sweet taste of animal flesh.” This study had personally witnessed hippos devouring an impala in Africa.

However, the majority of the time, we see hippos feasting on plant matter such as grasses, grains, and flowers.