Pet Hippo Kills Its Owner Marius Els with his pet hippo Humphrey at his farm in Free State, South Africa. Nov 15, 2011 A 40-year-old farmer in South Africa was killed by his beloved pet hippo, Humphrey, when the animal dragged the farmer into a river and mauled him to death. Marius Els, an Army major, had raised the 2,600 pound animal and considered Humphrey a part of his family, according to the U.K.’s Guardian [ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/14/pet-hippo-humphrey-kills-owner ]. Others had warned Els that hippos were dangerous and warned him against keeping Humphrey, but he ignored their warnings and was known ride around on the 5-year-old hippopotamus’s back ... [...] http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2011/11/pet-hippo-kills-its-owner/ [with comments]