Horrifying moment a hippopotamus is shot dead in a village in Senegal

View
comments

An endangered hippo has been shot dead by a French hunter after wandering into a village in Senegal, sparking outrage from animal activists. 

The animal was killed on March 31 after it entered the village of Kédougou, in the country's south, and got itself caught in a septic tank.

Police and firefighters were unable to free the trapped animal so called in François Huard, a professional hunter who manages the local safari resort Le Relais, to kill it.

Mr Huard shot the animal five times in the head in front of villagers who were recorded cheering as the animal died. The hippo's body was then dragged away by a digger before being buried under loose soil.