Aussie tourist killed by Hippo

Lake Naivasha

Australian tourist killed by hippo in Kenya
March 2, 2005
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Australian-tourist-killed-by-hippo-in-Kenya/2005/03/01/1109546872452.html
An Australian tourist was killed by a hippopotamus at a popular resort in central Kenya, police said on Tuesday.
Simon Kiragu, the regional police chief, identified the victim as 50-year-old Vicky Elizabeth Bartlett.
She was with a group of 12 tourists at Lake Naivasha last night when the hippo attacked, Kiragu said.
"The hippo attacked the woman, flipping her into the air before tossing her on the ground and trampling her," he said.
She was rushed to a nearby hospital, but died while undergoing treatment, he said.
No one else was injured in the attack.
The attack took place at Fisherman's Camp, a popular lakeside campground, where signs warn tourists to beware of hippos after dark.
John Mwangi, the group's tour guide, said the woman had seen a hippo the night before and was going to look for one again without telling him. The group was en route to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
Officials from the Australian High Commission were in Naivasha, 90 kilometres northwest of Nairobi, to investigate the incident.
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Hippos kill more people every year in Africa than any other wild animal. They come on shore at night to graze and will attack anything that comes between them and the water, where they feel safe.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs last night said Ms Bartlett was from Melbourne.
She was part of a tour group that included several other Australians, a department spokeswoman said.
Ms Bartlett died as a result of injuries inflicted by the hippopotamus, she said.
The Australian embassy in Nairobi was offering consular assistance to the woman's family.
The spokeswoman would not say when Ms Bartlett's body would be returned to Australia.
AP/AAP