Claim: A man in South Africa who rescued a baby hippo and raised it died after the animal mauled him several years later. Rating: About this rating TrueFor more than a decade, social media users have shared the story of a man in South Africa who reportedly adopted a baby hippopotamus that later killed him. According to that post, "In 2005, a South African man, Marius Els, adopted a baby hippo after rescuing it from a river. While authorities disproved the assertion that the hippo ate Els, the overarching claim is true: A man in South Africa adopted a baby hippo and raised it before the animal killed him several years later. However, local news in South Africa reported that Humphrey mauled Els to death on Nov. 12, 2011.
