You may have heard a tale or two about hippos rushing to the aid of other animals in peril. While there may be some anecdotal evidence for the hippo's altruistic tendencies, the truth is these megaherbivores can be jerks. Don't believe us? Get a load of this guy:

While on a recent safari in South Africa's Kruger National Park, Carolyn Wridgway and her family came across a remarkable scene. A pack of wild dogs had chased a kudo into a dam (a technique that the canines often use to corner their prey), when a hippo entered the fray. 

"My eight-year-old granddaughter, who was watching the events unfold, innocently thought that the hippo was a hero for trying to rescue a baby kudu," Wridgway, an estate agent who filmed the incident recently, told Latest Sightings.

Unfortunately for the kudu this was not a rescue mission. Hippos are fiercely territorial and will readily chomp anything that enters the water. After skewering and submerging the hapless antelope in the murky depths, the hippo dragged the carcass to the shoreline where a tug-of-war ensued with the eager wild dogs.

The hippo eventually relinquished the kudu and the dogs quickly got to work devouring the meal. "We have never witnessed a kill taking place so this was exceptionally rare for us and even more so given the nature of the kill,” says Wridgway.

This is not the first time we've seen a hippo viciously defending its territory. In 2015 wildlife photographer Hannes Lochner witnessed a pair of territorial hippos flinging and biting a number of impalas that had been chased into the water by wild dogs on the hunt:

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