Joe Kahlo
This is the hilarious moment a baby hippo yelled out for help after a flock of birds tried to hitch a ride on its back.
The hippo tried running and twisting its body around to try and get the unwanted passengers off but to no avail.
Usually, hippos and oxpecker birds have a mutually beneficial relationship where the bird will feed on any ticks and other parasites the hippo may be plagued with.
But in this instance, it seems like the oxpeckers were far from welcomed by this young hippo.
It even tried fake running into the water to scare them off but this didn’t work, thankfully for the hippo, the birds soon gave up trying to feed and flew away.
The images were taken at the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia by Marc Mol of Switzerland, talking about the encounter he said:
“I was busy concentrating on a pod of hippos when all of a sudden I saw the baby running toward me with his pursuers.”
“I was at first astonished as to what was going on, seeing this baby hippo running towards me and the safety of water, and then realized it was a small flock of Ox-peckers that were the culprits. It was very amusing to witness.”
“The baby hippo was clearly not used to the Red & Yellow oxpeckers on his back. He was attempting to rid them off his back by twisting and shaking as he scrambled back to the safety of mum and the water.”
“One will always see oxpeckers on the adult hippos, as they share a symbiotic relationship, but a first for me with such a young one and his associated funny antics.”
“I had a real laugh when I realized that I had captured something a little different and yet very amusing.”
“I love the expression on this little guy’s face as he frantically tries to fend off what he sees as annoying pests.”
I guess this little guy just needs a little more time before he can appreciate the relationship between him and the oxpeckers.
