Video shows hippo charging boat full of tourists in Botswana

AfricaVideo shows hippo charging boat full of tourists in Botswana“Once he started charging after us, the adrenaline was unbelievable,” said Oznur Bell, who took the video of the close encounter. Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleAug. 7, 2026, 11:43 PM EDTBy Nollaig O'Connor and Dennis RomeroVideo captured by a tourist on board a boat in northern Botswana showed the heart-pounding moment the vessel had to outrun a charging hippo. Oznur Bell, who took the video, was on the boat Sunday with her three children and a close friend as they traveled between camps during their stay in Botswana, she told NBC News. “It was one of the most terrifying moments I’ve ever experienced,” Oznur said. “Once he started charging after us, the adrenaline was unbelievable.”A video shows a hippopotamus jumping on the Okavango Delta in Botwana, on Sunday.Oznur Bell One of the journey’s guides, who was operating the vessel, spotted the hippo and slowed the boat in an attempt not to disturb it, Oznur said. The vessel had just come upon an elephant, and she had her phone out when the hippo appeared, she said.“I happened to have my phone in my hand because I was filming it,” Oznur said of the elephant. “By pure luck, I never put my phone away, which is the only reason I was able to capture what happened next on camera.”The guide quickly realized the hippo had been provoked despite his efforts, she said. Oznur remembers the guide saying, “Hold on — we need to speed up now before he decides to come after us.” She continued, “The moment we accelerated, we looked back and realized the hippo was chasing us.”Her video, posted to her Instagram account, shows the massive mammal extending its head and upper body out of the water in a marvel of propulsion that looks similar to a human breast stroke. The boat created a wake as it sped off and its operator smiled nervously.“You can actually see the smiles on the guides’ faces, not because it was funny, but...