At a safari zoo in Indonesia, a hippopotamus was nearly choked to death by a plastic cup thrown by a tourist
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himA plastic cup, thrown by a visitor to a safari zoo in Indonesia, got stuck in the throat of a hippo that nearly choked to death.
The plastic that we continue to use (and throw away with impunity) continues to do serious damage to the environment but also to the animals that are attracted to it and who risk getting stuck or ingesting it.
This is what happened to a female hippo from Taman Safari in Bogor, Indonesia who nearly suffocated to death after trying to swallow a plastic cup, thrown away by a visitor. But she could have gone even worse than that, the gesture could have been intentional, at least according to a woman who witnessed the fact.
In a series of Instagram stories user @cyntiactcete said that a few days ago, while driving near the hippo enclosure in Taman Safari, someone in the car in front of her waved her hand out the window to entice a hippo to approach. When the hippo opened its mouth wide, the person threw a plastic cup and some paper into it.
@cyntiactcete said she was unable to film the launch in the hippo's mouth, but one of her videos clearly shows the plastic cup stuck in the hippo's throat. Fortunately, the woman promptly reported the incident to the park officials who promptly intervened.
Taman Safari Bogor spokesperson Yulius H Suprihardo said:
“Right now the animal is fine because he threw up the glass. If he had swallowed it, the plastic cup could have killed him, the plastic cups take hundreds of years to degrade ”.
However, he also stated that given what happened, the hippo will be under constant medical surveillance for some time.
The animal may have learned to open its mouth to passing cars as visitors often feed hippos in the enclosure, although it is prohibited.
Animal Defenders Indonesia animal activist Doni Herdaru appears to have managed to track down the alleged culprit, a middle-aged woman, who recorded an apology video posted on Instagram.
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However, the apology cannot be accepted and Taman Safari filed a complaint against the woman to the police. The problem is that there is a very high risk that due to Indonesia's weak enforcement of animal protection law, anyone who has done this horrible act will not be severely punished.
Fonte: Instagram / Tribun news Sultra
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