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Rogue Hippo ‘Swallows’ 2-Year-Old—Then Spits Him Back Out

Police said the hippo had been forced to “vomit” the boy back up after a shocked bystander hurled stones at it.

A 2-year-old boy is recovering after a rare hippo attack in which the massive animal “swallowed half of his body” but then miraculously spit him back out. The remarkable incident was first reported by Capital FM Uganda, which cited local police to report that the hippo had been forced to “vomit” the boy back up after a shocked bystander hurled stones at it. The boy had reportedly been playing by himself outside his home near the shores of a lake in southwestern Uganda when the hippo “grabbed” him, police were quoted saying by The Telegraph. A man who was nearby saw the horrific scene unfolding and “stoned the hippo and scared it, causing it to release the victim from its mouth,” police said. The hippo retreated back into the lake and the boy was rushed to a hospital for treatment after having been “half swallowed.” Police said he escaped any serious injury.