Credits: Social Media
Hippo attack survivor was smiling on camera moments before animal dragged her underwater
Kristen Yaldor had turned 37 on the day of her attack when a hippopotamus dragged her underwater and broke her femur.
The incident occurred in 2018 when Kristen and husband Ryan were enjoying a leisurely day of nature photography in western Zimbabwe. And, only moments before the wild animal attacked, she was seen smiling for a selfie with her husband.
Woman recalls terrifying hippopotamus attack
It had only been ten minutes since the couple had entered the water in a canoe when the tour guide accompanying them signaled them to paddle toward the left bank.
Before Kristen or her husband could respond to his call, something broke the canoe from underneath the water and the woman was thrown into the river at once.
She managed to swim to the surface when she saw her husband headed in the direction of the shore and she was reportedly about five strokes away from the land.
But, before she could reach the shore, something dragged her underwater and tossed her “side to side like a dog with a chew toy.” Kristen realized it was an animal jaw that had got her. Thanks to her scuba-diving skills, she knew to hold her breath and not panic.
She managed to free her leg from the hippo’s grip, but she didn’t feel any pain yet. However, when she got to the shore, the pain started to come through as the force from the attack left her with a broken femur.
Survivor underwent 14 surgeries
Kristen spent months in the hospital after the attack and underwent 14 surgeries to be able to get back on her feet. She was first subject to multiple surgeries in a trauma unit in Johannesburg and her wound had to be left open for two weeks to ensure the bacteria from the river water subsided.
She traveled on a 36-hour flight to Florida from Africa and continued with the hospital visits for the rest of her treatment in Tampa.
Despite the serious injuries she sustained, Kristen couldn’t remember a moment when she was afraid after the attack, and her family joked during her recovery that the wild animal wanted to give her a “birthday kiss.”
Her attack prompted Kristen to research the reputation hippos hold for being the “worlds deadliest large land mammal” and her recovery journey made her life “very slow.”
She recollected telling the doctors: “I dont care how many surgeries it takes. There are certain functions in life that I feel are, for lack of a better word, requirements.
Kristen took two days to stand on her own and walk a few steps. She didn’t drive for half a year. But she eventually regained strength in the damaged leg with physiotherapy and exercises.
She participated in a charity 5-K marathon a few months later but walked briskly instead of jogging. Kristen even appeared on the Animal Planet Show, I Was Prey, which navigates the story of her attack and survival.
