Marius Els Killed By His Pet Hippo Humphrey, South Africa

'If he decides to get me off his back, then he throws me over like a horse', Mr Els told an interviewer before his death, adding: 'My friends won't even go near him.'
Humphrey's dangerous side was displayed in March this year when he tried to attack two canoeists as they made their way down the Vaal river. A 52-year-old man and his seven-year-old grandson were forced to scramble out of their canoe and climb a tree when they were approached by Humphrey. The terrified canoeists screamed and clapped in an attempt to drive the animal away from the tree - but Humphrey refused to move. Mr Els eventually managed to lure the hippo away with an apple, explaining that he had only approached the pair because he was hungry. Yesterday, a spokesman for one of South Africa's private ambulance services revealed that his staff were called to Mr Els' farm late on Saturday evening.
'Paramedics responded to the scene to find that the man had been bitten several times by the animal and had also been immersed in the river for an unknown period,' Jeffrey Wicks said. Mr Wicks explained that the farmer was declared dead at the scene, but added it was not know for how long he had lain undiscovered.