Newlywed's honeymoon horror as hippo 'bites through her heart' in front of husband
A tragic 2003 incident in the Okavango Delta saw a newlywed bride killed by a hippopotamus during a canoe excursion. The article recounts the event and mentions a similar attack on a former Miss South Africa in the same region.
Why it matters
The story serves as a cautionary tale regarding the dangers of wildlife tourism and the unpredictable nature of large animals in their natural habitats.
A newly married couple experienced an unimaginable tragedy when a hippopotamus attack claimed the bride's life before her husband's eyes in the Botswana Delta. Janice and Bruce Simpson had been married for just two weeks when they went on a guided canoe excursion at Eagle Island in the Okavango Delta in 2003. During the trip, it's understood the group was forced to take a detour as a herd of elephants blocked their path, navigating instead through the surrounding reeds. The couple's family said how, about 200 metres from their camp, a hippo charged into the middle of their boat, throwing all three into the water. Bruce suffered a dislocated shoulder from the impact and got back up just in time to witness the creature clamping its jaws around the 32-year-old's chest, fatally injuring her heart and lung, reports the Daily Star .
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