In a rare and dramatic sighting filmed by Kerry Balaam in Kruger National Park, a lioness searching for a drink of water had her plans abruptly interrupted by a hippo. With much of the riverbed reduced to thick mud, the lioness approached one of the few accessible water sources. Just as she was about to drink, a massive hippo rose from the murky depths, startling the predator and asserting dominance over its territory.
The lioness froze as the colossal hippo, caked in mud, towered before her. A hippo’s immense size and powerful jaws make it one of Africa’s most dangerous animals, capable of crushing bones with ease. Lions rarely challenge adult hippos unless they are weak or stranded far from water, and this lone lioness was not about to risk her life. With cautious glances over her shoulder, she retreated, leaving the waterhole firmly under the hippo’s control.
Once the lioness moved on, the hippo settled back into its muddy wallow, satisfied that its territory was secure. Hippos spend much of the day submerged in water or mud to keep cool, aided by a natural oily secretion often referred to as “blood sweat,” which protects their sensitive skin from sunburn and infection. This extraordinary encounter served as a reminder of the unspoken rule of the wild: in this mud hole, the hippo reigned supreme.
