A man survived after being waist-deep in the throats of two hippos twice. Paul Templer was only 28 years old when he began traveling around Zimbabwe on photographic safaris.
He likes everything about African soil – the wildlife, the flora, the fauna, the great scenery, the space.
Templer told CNN that Zimbabwe’s guide certification program was rigorous. He added that he enjoyed showing tourists the majestic wildlife of the area, including the hippos.
“It was idealistic. Life was really good until something changed,” he said.
It is March 9, 1996, Saturday, and Templer learns that a good friend of his who is to lead the Zambezi River Canoe Safari has malaria. Templer agrees to stand in for his friend.
Photo: Facebook/Paul Templer
“I loved this stretch of river. It was an area I knew like the back of my hand,” he added.
The expedition includes four Air France crew members, a couple from Germany, three apprentice guides and Templer. They set out in three canoes on the famous Zambezi River. “Things were going smoothly. Everyone had a lot of fun,” Templer said.
During the journey, they come across a group of hippos. However, this is not unexpected for the Zambezi, which is the fourth longest river in Africa. The idea was that the tourists paddle away from the hippos.
Templer’s canoe was first, and the other two canoes and the kayak followed.
“Suddenly there was a loud crash. And I saw the canoe with its back in the air. And Evans, the guide in the back of the canoe, fell out of it,” Paul Templer said.
“Evans was in the water and the current was taking him towards a mother hippo and her baby calf. I knew I had to get him out fast. He was screaming,” added Templer.
At the same time, however, Templer also jumps from his canoe to save Evans. His plan was to pull him up and get back in the canoe.
“I was swimming towards it, I was getting closer and I saw a bow wave coming towards me. I knew either a hippopotamus or a big crocodile was coming at me,” he said.
Templer reaches Evans and reaches out to grab him and at the same time their fingers touch, but after a moment the water between them erupts.
What happened next was nightmarish and surreal, Templer added.
“The world became dark and strangely quiet,” he said. Templer said it took him a few seconds to figure out what was going on.
“From the waist down I could feel the water. I felt that I was wet and in the river. From the waist up it was different. I was warm and not wet like in the river, but not dry either. And it was just incredible pressure on my lower back. I tried to move but I couldn’t. I realized I was up to my waist in the throat of a hippo,” he added.
“He spat on me”
“I guess I was too far down his throat that he was uncomfortable and he just shut me out. So I burst to the surface, took a breath of fresh air, and found myself face to face with Evans, the guide I was trying to save. And I said, ‘We’ve got to get out of here!'” Templer said.
However, Evans had a serious problem and could not swim to me. However, Templer feels a serious blow from below and finds himself in the hippo’s throat again.
Evans tries to get his gun but can’t. However, the hippo proved to be older and more aggressive, spitting out Templer a second time.
“This time when I surfaced there was no sign of Evans,” added Templer.
Then he decides to start swimming even harder. However, a hippopotamus, with its mouth open, moves towards him and attacks him again. Templer is sideways in the hippo’s mouth, his legs dangling outside.
“And then he just went berserk. When hippos fight, the way they fight is they try to tear apart and just destroy whatever is attacking them,” Templer said.
“Fortunately for me, everything was happening in slow motion. So as he sank under the water, I held my breath. When we were on the surface, I took a deep breath and tried to hold on.
According to him, the entire attack took about three and a half minutes.
Meanwhile, Mack, the guide, shows incredible bravery, risking his life to save Templer’s and taking his boat inches from his face.
Templer manages to grab the handle of the kayak and Mac pulls him into it, then paddles to safety.
However, the two realize that Evans is missing, and the tourists are left completely alone.
“My left leg was particularly bad, it was as if someone had tried to drill a hole with a hammer. I couldn’t move my arms. One arm was crushed from the elbow down,” Templer said.
However, the two never found Evans. Templer was taken to the nearest hospital. In one month, he underwent several major operations. The surgeons gave no chance of survival, but in the end Templer was saved, but without one of his arms.
