Safari goer throws plastic bag in hippo’s mouth, viral video sparks outrage

Reportedly, a safari-goer throwing a plastic bag in a hippo’s mouth occurred at a safari park in Bogor, West Java.

A video of a person throwing a plastic bag into a hippo’s mouth has caused widespread outrage on social media. People have urged the authorities to arrest the individual responsible. Reportedly, the authorities at a safari park in Bogor, West Java, where the incident took place, are looking for the individual responsible. Allegedly, during the safari he also poked a deer with a carrot.

While a safari-goer was seen trying to feed a banana to a hippo, another interrupted and threw a plastic bag in its mouth (Representational image). (Unsplash/usinglight)

“A safari park visitor threw a plastic bag into the mouth of a Hippopotamus at the Taman Safari in Indonesia,” reads the caption posted along with the video shared on X.

In the viral video, a hippo is seen standing at the edge of an enclosure with its mouth open. A person is trying to feed a carrot to the animal from a car beside the enclosure. However, at that very moment, another passenger from the car throws a plastic bag inside the hippo’s mouth, and the animal starts chewing it.

"We have identified the license plate of the vehicle carrying that person. We urge him to make a public apology to teach a lesson to other visitors about complying with the standard operating procedures at the Indonesian Safari Park," the park’s spokesman, Alexander Zulkarnain, told Jakarta Globe.

The outlet also shared an update on the hippo's health. The animal was immediately checked and given a clean bill of health.

Take a look at the shocking video here:

The video has gone viral on social media, with over 1.9 million views and tons of comments.

What did X users say about this video?

“I hope that person and the hippo meet again someday. Hopefully, it will be in an environment more favourable to the hippo,” posted an X user. “That's pi**ed me off more than any video I've seen today I know that much,’ added another.

A third shared, “I hope they were caught and arrested! That could kill the hippo!” A fourth joined, “These people should be banned from every safari park and not allowed near any animals.”

A fifth individual wrote, “Wow we go from suffocating turtles to choking hippos.”

Zulkarnain later added, “We have collected information from our guards and security cameras at the park. Guards told us that this particular visitor had been reprimanded several times for opening the window in the tiger area.” He also explained that this behaviour is considered animal abuse and could lead to legal consequences, adding that the animals in the park are protected by wildlife law.