The hippo has been examined and is in good health.
A recent viral video has stirred controversy as discussions over human involvement with wildlife grow globally. The video has caused significant outrage online as it shows a careless safari visitor tossing a plastic bag into a hippo's jaws. Many social media users have urged the authorities to take strict action against the man.
The incident took place at Safari Park in West Java, Indonesia. In the viral footage, a hippo is seen at the edge of its enclosure in the water, with its mouth open. A person is seen attempting to feed a carrot to the animal from a car near the enclosure. However, another passenger in the car throws a plastic bag into the hippo's mouth, and the animal begins chewing it.
The management is now tracking down the male visitor after he was caught on video. "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 on Saturday.
"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 added.
According to the official, since wildlife laws protect all creatures at the sanctuary, mistreating them could have legal repercussions.
Further, the hippo has been examined and is in good health.
Since being shared, the now-viral clip has amassed two million views and 14,000 likes on X (formerly Twitter).
"That's pissed me off more than any video I've seen today I know that much," said a user.
Another said, "Straight to jail"
"I hope they were caught and arrested!! That could kill the hippo!!" remarked another person.
A fourth user stated, "Humans are disgusting and who allows to feed animals in safari."
"This is attempted murder of the Hippo, sorry," said a person.
Another noted, "This why all the animals going extinct."