Jessica is the world's most famous hippo. Since we were just a few kilometers away we decided to take an hour drive and visit her. Jessica was abandoned by her mother during a flood at only a few days old; then found by a park ranger and raised by him and his family. So she is very used to humans. Just watch the video and you see she is allowed in the house or as our guide put it at night she is used as a coach. However, one cannot say tame as hippos: have never been domesticated, are the number one man killing mammal in Africa (other than man), and she herself is allowed to come and go as she pleases, visiting wild hippos just downstream. Yet, as you arrive she is hanging out in the stream next to a small pier. When you are told you can take off your shoes and massage her back with your feet, you quickly forget that she is a one ton eating machine with six inch tusks. She almost moves her head to pose with you in pictures and snorts gleefully as you kneed your feet into her massive body. Then, after everyone has had a chance to massage her, you totally forget the warning you were given to stay on the other side of the raft as she turns toward the small pier and puts her head up next to you. Just ask my friend Alexis who thought that would be a perfect time to lie down put her head next to Jessica and snap a few pics. Jessica, instead, felt it was time to be fed again and decided to nudge Alexis as a reminder that she was hungry. The only problem was Jessica nudges with a head larger in diameter than a beach ball, mouth open, tusks and giant teeth sticking out, and in one innocent "I'm hungry" move could bring all that plus jaws strong enough to crush a human skull down on poor Alexis. In the blink of an eye Alexis is "nudged" with all this, attempts to scamper away but is not in position to really move. Persistent and hungry Jessica starts to remind Alexis again as I dive down grab Alexis by the legs and pull her away. Alexis survives with a few bruises, a bump on her head and a little more fear of Jessica. Jessica got her food after being punished with a short time out for misbehaving. We all took turns feeding her, giving her tea and even giving Jessica a kiss on the nose. Oh and the pic Alexis was wanting? Let's just say Alexis has empirical evidence her head has been inside the mouth of a hippo.
