Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve
A YOUNG woman turned hero on Saturday night when she saved an American tourist from a rampaging hippo in Kariba, risking her own life in a dramatic rescue.
Shayna Peacock (22) leapt into action after a staff member at Lomagundi Lakeside resort raised the alarm during a fishing tournament.
The victim, identified only as Mary, was mauled and left with severe leg injuries. She is now fighting for her life in the ICU of a private hospital in Harare.
“What I saw was bone-chilling,” Shayna told B-Metro, her voice still shaking. “Mary was lying on the ground, barely moving, and the hippo was just five metres away, staring straight at her. That’s when my adrenaline kicked in — we had to act fast.”
Shayna and her friend, wildlife enthusiast Benjamin Ferreira, jumped into her car and raced to the scene. Ferreira and a resort guard used only a baton, hooting, and shouting to distract the giant beast.
“My friend Ben had this brilliant idea. He picked up a rock and hurled it at the hippo. It snapped the animal out of its rage and gave us just enough time to act,” Shayna said.
She then drove the car between Mary and the hippo, shielding the victim while the men stood guard. Shayna rushed to Mary’s side, lying on the ground next to her, checking for vital signs and keeping her calm.
“She was in so much pain but surprisingly calm,” Shayna recalled. “I had to compose myself so she wouldn’t panic even more.”
An ambulance arrived within ten minutes, whisking Mary to a local clinic before she was transferred to Harare for specialist treatment.
From evidence at the scene, Shayna believes Mary may have been returning from a shower when she accidentally walked into the hippo’s path.
Though hailed as a heroine, Shayna downplayed her role. “I just stayed with her and comforted her. The real heroes were the people who got the ambulance there so quickly,” she said.
ZimParks had not confirmed the incident at the time of going to print.
