In June, Roland Cherry, 63, and his wife Shirley went on a five-week safari vacation when a hippo attacked their boat and seized Roland, trapping him between the mammal’s jaws.
Roland sustained a dislocated shoulder when the hippo struck the canoe, making it impossible for him to swim to safety, but Shirley was able to escape the attack by swimming away.
As a “sitting duck in the water,” he said to Sarah-Jane Mee on News’ The UK Tonight.
“The hippo approached and snatched me from beneath, carrying me all the way to the river’s bottom before releasing me.
That’s when it started to sink in. I considered the possibility that I might pass away here tonight.
Roland continued, saying, “I could see blood on my left side and flesh protruding from my shorts as well as my extremely badly chewed-up thigh.
“At the time, I wasn’t really aware of the abdominal wound because the life vest covered it up.” I therefore realized how seriously hurt I was following that.
