Lisa Manders, 70, was an American woman who lived in New Jersey with a loving husband, Craig. Fate begged to differ on her death as she died due to a different kind of natural cause; a hippo in Zambia killed her while her husband helplessly watched.
The event took place last year, but the husband is suing the safari tour company as he claimed that the operator should have kept her safe no matter what.
Craig issued a statement from his attorneys
Craig told NBC News: “Had we understood the dangers posed by the hippopotamus, we never would have agreed to be in such close contact while on foot.”
“The idea that we were unwittingly exposed to such an extreme danger, a danger made even worse by our tour guides leaving Lisa alone on foot with nothing between her and such a deadly animal, is nothing short of astonishing,” he continued.
What happened exactly
It was on May 31, 2024, when the married couple went on a 10-day safari trip in Zambia. Lisa, the mother of three, was attacked five days into the holiday.
The lawsuit was based on the fact that the tour guide “knew or should have known” how wild these hippopotamuses were, but the guides left the area, and that’s when the chaos unfurled.
The tour guides should have been doing their job
The lawsuit claimed that the tour guides should have made those on the walk aware of the hippopotamuses’ nature and what the proximity to them could lead to.
The hippos were described as “highly unpredictable, territorial, and aggressive.” In addition, the absence of the tour guides, with one of them having a gun, added fuel to the fire.
Lisa’s tragic fate
One of the hippos left the waters and charged at Lisa, who ran away, but according to the lawsuit: “She was unable to escape, and the hippopotamus violently attacked her, grabbing her by its mouth, lifting her off the ground, shaking her entire body, and crushing her head and body with its bite.”
The safari company denies responsibility
The safari company, African Portfolio, whose headquarters is in Connecticut, only bears responsibility for organizing the trips.
Their lawyer, Rod Gould, thought the accident was “really unusual” and emphasized that the company is not responsible for any mishaps that can take place on the trips.
One of Craig’s lawyers fired back
“Interacting with the natural world in the wilderness can be an incredibly rich experience,” said Slager of Slager Madry LLC in a statement.
“But wilderness guides and tour operators like African Portfolio carry the responsibility to ensure basic safety precautions are taken to ensure customers visiting the African wilderness are not unnecessarily exposed to extreme dangers,” he continued.