In the video, an unlucky wildebeest is bitten by a crocodile on its right hind hoof. This action opens a dramatic “tuck” between antelope and crocodile, about 8 minutes long. When the wildebeest was weak, and thought it was about to be killed by a crocodile, the “arranged” situation was suddenly broken by two hippos lazily appearing and rushing.
The provocation forced the crocodile to release the antelope that was struggling to escape, in order to avoid a clash with the hippo. Witnessing this scene, a tourist exclaimed: “I have never seen a hippo come to the rescue of another animal, it is simply extraordinary.”
Meanwhile, some commentators suggested that the hippo’s actions may have been merely territorial defense. Specifically, hippos often do not like to share the area they live in with other animals, especially encroachment from terrestrial mammals.
So in the video, perhaps the hippo thought the wildebeest was an intruder, so he rushed to attack to chase it out of the water.
In a completely unintentional way, this action became a timely rescue for the antelope in front of the crocodile’s teeth.
Watch the video here