Boy survives being swallowed by a hippo after it spat him out

A two-year-old boy has survived being swallowed by a fearsome hippo that spat him out on the banks of Lake Edward in Uganda.

Hailed as a miracle, hippos are one of the most feared beasts in the wild accounting for hundreds of human deaths annually.

Local police said that Paul Iga was playing by the waterside when the hippo grabbed and tried to swallow him, before spitting him out. The whole incident they say was witnessed by a local resident, Chrispas Bagonza.

He said he immediately grabbed stones and started throwing them at the animal to try and force it to drop the boy, who amazingly was unscathed after the incident.

The police told the Standard: “It took the bravery of one Chrispas Bagonza, who was nearby, to save the victim after he stoned the hippo and scared it, causing it to release the victim from its mouth.”

A statement issued by Ugandan police said: “This is the first such kind of incident where a hippo strayed out of Lake Edward and attacked a young child.”

Iga, the boy who survived being swallowed by a hippo, was taken to the hospital but apparently, all he needed was a rabies shot.

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