Roland Cherry, 63, survived a hippo attack in Zambia, Africa.
On June 25, he and his wife Shirley were canoeing on the Kafue River when the animal dragged him underwater. This incident occurred during a group trip, as detailed on Roland’s Just Giving page.
Roland stated they were on a five-week camping safari across Southern Africa and had a “fabulous time” before the incident.
During the second leg of their tour, just four days in, they paddled from Victoria Falls through Zambia, Malawi, and down the Mozambique coast to South Africa.
In the second kayak of five, they felt an “almighty bang” as a hippo lifted their canoe clear of the water. Shirley made it to the riverbank, but Roland dislocated his shoulder in the attack. “The hippo grabbed me and pulled me under to the riverbed. I thought my time was up!” he recounted on the Just Giving page.
“When the hippo first hit our canoe, it sounded like a massive car crash,” Roland described to the media.
“I do recall thinking, ‘Oh no, what a way to go… I’m not ready to die,'” he told the outlet, adding that he believed it was the end because survival from hippo attacks is rare.
“We later learned from fellow travelers that I was grabbed again and thrown through the air like a rag doll, fortunately towards the bank,” Roland continued, according to the outlet.
“I looked down at my legs and thought, ‘That’s not good.’ My torn shorts revealed bits of flesh and blood on my abdomen,” he recounted.
“I sustained severe bite wounds on both legs, my left side, my left upper arm, and a dislocated right shoulder. It was a critical situation,” he wrote on his Just Giving page.
Roland was transported to Chirundu, the nearest village, approximately 25 minutes away, where he received life-saving treatment at Mtendere Mission General Hospital.
“When we arrived, this small African hospital immediately sprang into action. They assessed the hippo injuries and rushed me into surgery to clean my wounds,” Roland recounted. “They acted promptly; if they hadn’t, sepsis could have been fatal. It truly demonstrates ‘the kindness of strangers.'”
He was later airlifted from Zimbabwe to Johannesburg’s Milpark Hospital, where he praised the “first-class” care provided by the medical team.
Now back home in Tysoe, Warwickshire, Roland continues his recovery while raising funds for Mtendere Mission Hospital.
“During my hospital stay, I had time to reflect on the incident. The most striking aspect was the kindness shown by strangers,” Roland shared.
“I promised that once back in Warwickshire, I would share my story at a fundraising event for Mtendere Mission Hospital, to give back to the place that likely saved my life,” he added. Roland’s fundraising page has raised over $20,000. He later learned the hippo that attacked him was a female protecting her calf. “We were there to observe the natural world, but not that close,” he commented to The Times.
“I don’t harbor ill feelings towards hippos — just the one that attacked me.”
“I was in its jaws and unaware of what was happening,” Roland continued in his media interview. “Eyewitnesses described it, but I have no memory of that moment.”