Moving? Need to ship your hippo?

[The ClayTaurus]

http://www.usps.com/moversnet/howtopacka2.html#hippos

Nice to see the USPS has a sense of humor

 

[waltky]

Hippos are a dangerous animal to fishermen in Senegal...

Killer hippos are menacing fishermen
Sun, May 29, 2016 - Lying in hospital with bloodied bandages over the deep gashes in his legs, Senegalese fisherman Ali Fall recalls the moment a hippopotamus tried to kill him as he hauled in nets in a local river. “I came with another fisherman to pick up the nets I had left when the hippopotamus upended our boat. My friend got away but it bit into my left leg, then my right,” the 25-year-old said.

The waters of Gouloumbou in eastern Senegal, a tributary of the Gambia River and the village where Fall lives, have often run red with the blood of his peers. In the past decade, 25 fishermen have been mauled to death in the giant jaws of these easy to provoke mammals and many more injured, village officials said. “It’s the second time I’ve been attacked, after their first attempt in 2014. I’ve cheated death twice,” said Fall from his hospital bed in the nearby city of Tambacounda.

In Gouloumbou, which is 500km east of the Dakar, village chief Abdoulaye Barro Watt looks out of the windows of his office, next to the river where locals continue to risk death with few other options for a livelihood in this rural area. “They were all fisherman hoping to make a living for their families,” he said. “These men are struggling to survive due to these attacks. I have written so many letters to the authorities, even the fisheries minister, to make them aware of the problem.” Gouloumbou villagers and the hippopotamuses once lived together in relative safety, the chief said. “We used to play with them in the river. They were harmless,” he said.

Ali Fall on May 12 lays on a hospital bed in Gouloumbou, eastern Senegal, recovering from a hippopotamus attack.​

That has all changed, said fisherman Abdoulaye Sarr, sitting with a friend, Moussa Bocar Gueye. “They are evil monsters who attack us night and day. Because of them, we haven’t been fishing.” Both men are from the Thiouballo ethnic group which has long made its living from fishing but neither will be launching their pirogue, or traditional wooden boat, onto the river today. “It’s three weeks since we last went fishing,” Gueye said. “There aren’t any more fish at the market.” Hippopotamuses, vegetarians that live in or near swamps and rivers, can weigh up to 1,500kg and spend long hours in water to protect their skin from the sun. Easily irritated and with terrifying strength, the mammals kill more humans each year than almost any other animal in Africa because of their volatile nature, according to wildlife experts.

Senegal lists the hippopotamus as a protected species, so culling them is illegal. Their current number is unknown, but a survey is underway to track their presence in the country. Different explanations are given for the attacks. Fishing officials say hippopotamuses are especially aggressive at this time of year when the females are giving birth. However, Sarr said a decline in superstition is responsible. “Practicing magic protected people from the river, but now they don’t treat it properly, washing their clothes and dishes,” he said. He said that a Malian fisherman was to blame, after cursing the village following an argument over pricing in 2007. Whatever the cause, Fall will take no more chances. “After I get better, I’m changing profession,” he said.

FEATURE: Killer hippos are menacing fishermen - Taipei Times

See also:

Thai man on mend after penis-biting python encounter
Sun, May 29, 2016 - A Thai man who fought off a 3m python that bit his penis while he was squatting on the toilet is recovering, hospital staff said yesterday.

Atthaporn Boonmakchuay was admitted after surviving a nightmare encounter with a python hiding in the toilet plumbing at his home in Chachoengsao Province, east of Bangkok. “He can urinate as normal and his pain from the wound has reduced,” said Rungnapa Sehawong, a supervisor at the local Chularat 11 hospital. The 38-year-old was being treated with antibiotics and would likely be released in a few days, she added.

Rescue workers on Wednesday remove a plastic bag from a python’s head after they released it from a toilet outside a house in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand.​

In an interview from his hospital bedside after the incident on Wednesday, a smiling Atthaporn told local TV channels the toilet appeared empty when he peaked in before taking a squat. “But after a while [the python] rose from the toilet bowl and bit me,” he said, explaining how he grabbed the python behind the head to prevent it from taking him down. “At first I thought my penis was gone and already torn apart, because it was really very strong,” he added.

However, he managed to pry open the python’s jaws, after which his wife and neighbor rushed to the blood-splattered scene to cover the python’s head with a plastic bag. A rescue team later took a hammer to the toilet to free the python and release it into the wild, local media reported. While the toilet was damaged in the process, it gave Atthaporn’s wife reason to make a new purchase: a shiny modern flush toilet.

Thai man on mend after penis-biting python encounter - Taipei Times