A safari vehicle parked on the banks of a river as the sunsets in Zambia. Picture: Unsplash
A video of brave fishermen crossing a hippo-infested river with a pride of lions overlooking the banks has left many netizens shocked.
The video, shared by Elle Africa Safaris (@elleafricasafaris) on TikTok, show how man and nature can coexist and has left many in awe.
@elleafricasafaris THIS IS NOT MOVIE SCENE! This was one of the wildest scenes I have ever seen recently on a trip to Zambia at the banks of the Luangwa River. A Fisherman, a Pride of 15 Lions, and over 100 hundred Hippos in the water , This is Wild😳🙄😳🙄😳🙄 #elleafricasafaris #safari #wildlife #gamedrive #lion #africanwildlife ♬ sonido original - Luis Zamora
According to the video, the beautiful moment was captured during a safari game drive on banks of the Luangwa River, a tributary of the Zambezi River, in Zambia.
“THIS IS NOT MOVIE SCENE! This was one of the wildest scenes I have ever seen recently on a trip to Zambia at the banks of the Luangwa River. A Fisherman, a Pride of 15 Lions, and over 100 Hippos in the water , This is Wild😳🙄😳🙄😳🙄,” read the caption on the TikTok post.
In the video, two fishermen are seen in a canoe trying to cross the river. As they cross, a bloat of hippos watch on in the water while a pride of lions does the same from the banks.
The moment was also captured by a group of tourists in safari vehicles on the banks. The fascinating part about the video is the animals lack of interest in the fishermen and the tourists despite the humans being in very close proximity to the animals.
According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, hippos are known for their aggressive and dangerous behaviour. In an encounter with a hippo, a human has an 86.7% chance of fatality. It is estimated that hippos kill 500 humans a year.
Though the proverbial king of the jungle often gets a bad rep, it barely made it onto the list of most dangerous animals in the world. BBC Science Focus estimates that lions kill the ferocious predator kills around 200 humans a year.
Commenting on the video, this is what TikTok users said:
@phelixotieno557 said: “They call it Africa, we call it home.”
Another user @nattyreigntv said: “To us, wild animals are not that wild. We see them as just another part of our daily lives. They won’t bother us if we don’t bother them . They know it and we know it.”
@123sithandile said: “You would swear that it was all planned that’s how beautiful the scene is, especially those fisher men.”
While @user27854295 said: “They must have some sort of agreement cause what the heck 😳.”