It’s been nearly 30 years since Paul Templer was almost torn to shreds by a hippopotamus – but he hasn’t let that slow him down in any way.
In 1996, Templer was only 28 when he was attacked by the massive animal while he was leading a guided tour down the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe, finding himself waist-deep in the creature’s mouth.
Despite losing his arm in the terrifying attack, he has continued to motivate and educate over the last three decades – as well as set records in athletic pursuits.
Just two years after the incident, the determined survivor, along with a team, made history when they traveled on the longest recorded descent of the Zambezi River to date.
It took three months and was 1,600 miles long, requiring him to learn how to canoe using one arm.
The father-of-three continues to challenge himself, recently revealing on social media that he is about to embark on a 155-mile ultra-marathon in Mongolia that includes rucking – walking and running with a weighed backpack – through the Gobi Desert.
‘It’s going to be awesome! This year we’re raising money to help provide early intervention support for children with special needs and epilepsy meds to impoverished kids who wouldn’t otherwise be able to get them,’ he enthusiastically wrote.
Templer previously recalled that he had agreed to take the place of a fellow tour guide who had malaria on the day of the hippo attack, explaining that he knew the ‘idyllic’ stretch of water well and loved showing it off.
It’s been nearly 30 years since Paul Templer was almost torn to shreds by a hippopotamus – but he hasn’t let that slow him down in any way
‘Things were going the way they were supposed to go,’ he shared in a previous interview with CNN Travel. ‘Everyone was having a pretty good time.’
There were three canoes on the tour, which were carrying six customers in total as well as two apprentice guides and Templer.
Templer’s canoe led the way on their journey before he was forced to pull to the side to wait for the rest of the group after one of the canoes fell behind.
‘Suddenly, there’s this big thud. And I see the canoe, like the back of it, catapulted up into the air,’ Templer remembered.
He said that Evans, the guide in the back of the canoe, was ‘catapulted’ out of his seat, but the two other passengers with him managed to remain inside.
‘Evans is in the water, and the current is washing Evans toward a mama hippo and her calf 490 feet away. So I know I’ve got to get him out quickly,’ he continued.
While he worked on getting Evans out of the water, another tour guide got the passengers left in the attacked canoe to safety, leading them to a rock that the hippo would not be able to climb up.
‘I was paddling towards him… getting closer, and I saw this bow wave coming towards me,’ Templer said.
In 1996, Templer (seen in 1998) was only 28 when he was attacked by the massive animal while he was leading a guided tour down the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe
After one of his fellow guides as ‘catapulted’ out of the water, Templer tried to help him, when he found himself in the mouth of the beast (stock image)
‘If you’ve ever seen any of those old movies with a torpedo coming toward a ship, it was kind of like that. I knew it was either a hippo or a really large crocodile coming at me.’
‘But I also knew that if I slapped the blade of my paddle on water… that’s really loud. And the percussion underwater seems to turn the animals away,’ he continued.
‘So I slapped the water, and as it was supposed to do, the torpedo wave stops.’
He said what happened next was like a ‘made-for-Hollywood movie.’
‘I’m leaning over… Evans is reaching up… our fingers almost touched. And then the water between us just erupted. It happened so fast I didn’t see a thing,’ he recounted.
‘My world went dark and strangely quiet,’ the tour-guide said, adding that he could feel water from his waist down, but oddly was ‘warm’ from the waist up.
‘It wasn’t wet like the river, but it wasn’t dry either. And it was just incredible pressure on my lower back. I tried to move around, I couldn’t,’ he continued.
Then, Templer made the horrifying realization that he was ‘up to his waist down a hippo’s throat.’
‘I’m guessing I was wedged so far down its throat it must have been uncomfortable because he spat me out,’ Templer shared.
He burst up to the surface to breathe in some fresh air and came ‘face to face’ with Evans, with them both now frantically trying to escape.
However, as he was attempting to grab Evans and swim to safety, he was attacked again – this time by a different hippo.
Templer (seen before the attack) had a love for the outdoors and showing off the area, which he scribed as ‘idyllic’
It took eight hours for Templer (seen recently) to get to a hospital, where a surgeon managed to save both his legs and one arm
‘So once again, I’m up to my waist down a hippo’s throat. But this time my legs are trapped but my hands are free,’ he recalled of the horrific incident.
Thankfully, that animal also spat Templer out.
After reemerging, he was unable to spot Evans – who he assumed had been rescued – so frantically tried to swim towards the shore.
‘I’m making pretty good progress and I’m swimming along there… and I look under my arm – and until my dying day I’ll remember this – there’s this hippo charging in towards me with his mouth wide open bearing in before he scores a direct hit,’ he said in horror.
At this time, Templer was in the viscous hippo’s grip again, with his legs dangling out one side of the mouth and shoulders and head on the other as the animal thrashed about, with the guide holding his breath every time he was thrown under the water.
Horrified onlookers described the hippo going ‘berserk’ like a ‘vicious dog trying to rip apart a rag doll’ in the minutes-long attack.
Another apprentice guide Mack bravely managed to pull up his kayak next to the hippo so he was just a few ‘inches’ from Templer’s face. He then grabbed onto the handle before being dragged to the safety of the rock.
Once there, they had to work out how to get back – with the first aid kit, radio, and gun all lost and only two canoes and one paddle left.
Templer’s foot was severely injured, he was unable to move his arms, and there was a wound in his back that had left him with a punctured lung.
They had to use saran wrap to stop the bleeding, and Templer recalled being in such immense pain, he ‘thought he was going to die.’
‘When I didn’t, I kind of wished I would,’ he admitted of his mindset in the gruesome moments after the attack.
Hippos can grow up to 16.5 feet long and 5.2 feet tall, and weigh up to 4.5 tons. Pictured: Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River at the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe
It took eight hours for Templer to get to a hospital, where a surgeon managed to save both his legs and one arm. He sadly lost is left arm in the attack.
Tragically, Evans had drowned, with his body being found three days after the attack, Templer reflected: ‘Evans did nothing wrong. The fact that he died was purely a tragedy.’
Hippos can grow up to 16.5 feet long and 5.2 feet tall, and weigh up to 4.5 tons, according to National Geographic.
Dr. Philip Muruthi, chief scientist and vice president of species conservation and science of the African Wildlife Foundation, told CNN at the time that hippos don’t intentionally attack humans.
‘Do not get close to them,’ he warned. ‘They don’t want any intrusion… They’re not predators, it’s by accident if they’re injuring people.’
‘Follow the rules,’ he advised. ‘If you are a tourist, and it says ‘stay in your vehicle,’ then stay in your vehicle. And even when you’re in your vehicle, don’t drive it right to the animal.’
He said once a hippo is attacking there’s ‘nothing you can do’ – except fight and ‘watch for any chance to escape.’
Templer advised those facing a hippo try not to panic especially if they’re dragged underwater, as he urged any victims to ‘remember to suck in air if on the surface.’
Muruthi also recommended making noise in areas hippos are found, particular at night when they come out to forage.
He also suggested being hyper-aware during the dry season as that’s when food is scarce and they’re extra hungry.
