Cup Thrown into Hippo's Mouth Nearly Causes Suffocation... Indonesian Zoo Visitor Backlash

Driving Safari Feeding Animals by Car
Female Perpetrator Apologizes: "I Threw It by Mistake"

A cup of bottled water is stuck inside the hippo's mouth. Photo by cyntiactcete, Instagram capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] At a zoo on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, a hippo nearly choked on a cup thrown in by a visitor.

According to CNN Indonesia on the 9th, a video related to the hippo, filmed on the 7th at the zoo 'Taman Safari,' has spread on social media.

Taman Safari is a 'driving safari' where visitors can feed animals from their cars.

In the video, a hippo is seen with its mouth open on the road as a black vehicle passes by, and then the hippo opens and closes its mouth while gasping for breath.

A visitor in the following vehicle recorded this, revealing a blue plastic water cup stuck deep in the hippo's throat inside its mouth.

The person who took the photo said, "I saw a passenger in the front car holding a plastic object and waving it at the hippo," adding, "It seems they threw it when the hippo opened its mouth."

A hippo struggling with a water cup stuck on its neck. Photo by cyntiactcete, Instagram capture.

The filmer immediately reported to the zookeeper, and the plastic cup was removed before the hippo could swallow it.

The zoo stated, "We removed the plastic cup and tissue from inside the hippo's mouth," and added, "We are continuously monitoring its condition, and its health and appetite appear normal."

Taman Safari identified the offending woman by checking the vehicle number, and she eventually posted an apology video.

The offender, Kadija (64), apologized, saying, "It was not intentional but a mistake. I must have been crazy. Please do not imitate me."

Taman Safari reported the incident to the police, requesting an investigation for animal abuse.

Since Taman Safari is a 'driving safari' where visitors can directly interact with animals, absurd incidents have occurred here in the past as well.

In 2017, a man and woman at Taman Safari filmed themselves feeding wine to animals and posted the video on their Instagram, drawing criticism.

They spat wine held in their mouths into the hippo's mouth, shouting "jackpot" with delight, and also lured a deer with a carrot before pouring wine into its mouth.

In 2017, a visitor spat wine into a hippo's mouth. Photo by Garda Satwa Indonesia, a local animal protection organization, captured from their official website.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.