Ever since childhood, Marius Els loved being outdoors and amongst animals. Much of that came from his father, whom Els idolized.
He stayed by his father’s side, learning to work with animals. When he was 12, he accomplished something that made his dad proud.
The family had a rowdy horse that Els was able to tame. Eventually, the horse sustained a leg injury.
There was nothing the family could do except euthanize it. This moment crushed Els and deeply affected his psyche.
When Els entered adulthood, he worked as a major in the army. He also followed in his father’s footsteps by living on a large farm full of animals in Free State, South Africa.
His farm was over 400 acres of beautiful land. One day, a baby hippo was rescued from the flooded Vaal River. Some people adopted the hippo but had to find a new home for him once he started to get big.
When the hippo was five months old, it was purchased by Els. He named his new pet Humphrey and developed a deep affection for him right away.
Hippos are considered the most dangerous mammal on the planet other than humans. Hippos reportedly kill 500 people per year.
They are fast and gigantic, running up to 30 mph and weighing thousands of pounds. Hippos are believed to kill more humans than lions, leopards, buffaloes, rhinos, and elephants combined.
Els, being the ultimate animal lover, was thrilled to have his new pal. He built a pen for it to live in and also added a lake to his land for Humphrey to enjoy.
Humphrey Becomes A Son
During this time, Els’ father passed away. Family members said he became more consumed with animals in an effort to cope.
His father taught him how to run a farm and set a positive example for his son. In turn, Els treated his hippo like a son.
Els would ride on Humphrey’s back and brush his teeth, an extremely dangerous activity considering the large canines possessed by hippos.
In 2011, Els was photographed on his hippo’s back. He said, “Humphrey’s like a son to me, he’s just like a human. There’s a relationship between me and Humphrey and that’s what some people don’t understand.
They think you can only have a relationship with dogs, cats, and domestic animals. But I have a relationship with the most dangerous animal in Africa.”
His family said that since he never had kids of his own, like all his siblings, he treated his animals as his offspring. Els swam around the lake on his property with Humphrey without having any reservations.
He told a journalist in 2010, “I can swim with him. I go in the water. He allows me to get on his back, and I ride him like a horse. He swims with me.”
Incidents Involving Humphrey
Els’ wife Louise was not a fan of Humphrey. She couldn’t understand how her husband could be so comfortable around him. This wasn’t like their giraffe who carved out a nice existence for themself on the farm.
Humphrey occupied and roamed a large portion of the land while maintaining the threat of violence.
A business partner of Els’ owned some calves that he blamed Humphrey for killing. The man was furious and wanted the hippo gone.
There was a local golf course that Humphrey frequented, chasing off golfers whenever he broke out of his pen. Els continued to defend his pet and was outraged at the calls to get rid of him.
Then, a big ordeal occurred when Humphrey chased a grandfather and his grandson. The 52-year-old man and his seven-year-old grandson were canoeing on the river that ran through the Els’ property.
Both canoers took refuge in a tree as Humphrey waited. After two hours, Els was able to lure him away with an apple. Paramedics rescued the grandfather and grandson from the tree. A crisis averted.
Els’ nephew Johan Hattingh liked going to the farm to watch his uncle feed Humphrey until the hippo attacked him on a day when journalist Matthew Tabaccos was filming them.
Hattingh’s pelvis was broken, and he had permanent injuries to his legs. He was fortunate not to sustain injuries to his organs. Luckily, he survived, but it was devastating to Els.
He finally seemed to grasp what everyone around him was saying. Humphrey was a wild animal that could not be controlled. Having him around humans would only result in catastrophe.
Els needed advice and turned to wildlife expert and hippo owner Tonie Joubert. Joubert told the television show Fatal Attractions that he told Els “To buy him a female and leave him.”
Els objected to that because he swam with Humphrey. Joubert told him how crazy he was. The older Humphrey got, the more testosterone he developed. “I didn’t think it was going to kill him, I knew it was going to kill him,” Joubert told the show.
The Sad End
Els obviously viewed his relationship with his hippo much differently than his family and friends. He believed Humphrey was like a pet dog, telling them that he responded to the sound of his voice and would always come back home after hearing his calls.
“I call him, and he immediately responds to come and play with me. I feed him apples. He opens his mouth. Big jaws, and teeth like this… It’s a little bit dangerous, but I trust him with my heart that he will not harm anybody,” Els once said.
With the increased aggression being displayed by Humphrey, Els finally relented. He promised to move him to a game park far away from the farm. It broke his heart, but he knew it was the best thing to do. His love for the hippo led to Els delaying Humphrey’s rehoming.
In November 2011, Els was attacked and then submerged in the river, where Humphrey was rescued. The pet hippo had bitten him and dragged him to the water in front of his nephew and farm workers.
Marius Els was only 40 years old when he met his demise. Sadly, Humphrey was euthanized after the event.
Sources
“Horrific injuries of farmer mauled to death by pet hippo who was ‘like a son’ to him.”-The Mirror
“Humphrey the pet hippo kills owner in South Africa.”-The Guardian
“Farmer gouged to death by pet hippo Humphrey who was ‘like a son to him’.”-The Daily Mail
“Killer Hippo.”-Fatal Attractions
