Now that's what I call dedication!

You're a scientist.

You want to collect samples of hippopotamus sweat for study in your laboratory.

However, there's one slight difficulty.

The average hippopotamus will stomp you into a mudhole (and fill it in after you) if you try to get near him.

Solution?

You get into an artificial hippopotamus suit, built strong enough to withstand the impact of an angry (or amorous?) hippo.

You smear the whole thing with hippo dung to hide your scent. (No word of how it smells to you inside the darn thing.)

Then you creep up on your hippopotamus.

So far, so good . . . but as the inimitable Robert Burns warns us, "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley". Or, in this case, hippos and scientists.

You see, hippos tend to prefer muddy areas . . .

And your fake hippo suit, armored to withstand aggression, is very heavy . . .

And deep mud and heavy objects really, really don't go well together.

That sinking feeling you're getting? It's real.

For the details and pictures, see this report in the London Daily Mail.

As an old Africa hand, what else can I say but:

*gigglesnort!*

Peter