New Jersey man sues safari tour operator after rampaging hippo killed his wife in Africa

A New Jersey man whose wife was killed by a hippo during an African safari has filed a lawsuit alleging that their tour operator was negligent in failing to keep her safe. 

Craig Manders says in the suit that he witnessed the horrifying death of his wife Lisa, 70, who was killed in Zambia last year during a safari organized by a Connecticut company, African Portfolio.

“Had we understood the dangers posed by the hippopotamus, we never would have agreed to be in such close contact while on foot,” Manders said in a statement released by his attorneys, Paul Slager and Nicole Coates. 

“The idea that we were unwittingly exposed to such an extreme danger, a danger made even worse by our tour guides leaving Lisa alone on foot with nothing between her and such a deadly animal, is nothing short of astonishing.” 

Rod Gould, a lawyer for African Portfolio, described the incident as a terrible but “really unusual” tragedy. He said the company arranges tours and works with the most reputable safari lodges in Africa, but is not responsible for what goes on during the trips.

“My client is a tour operator. It organizes tours,” Gould said. “A trip, for example, might include airfare. We’re not responsible if the airline loses luggage.”

In the suit filed in Stamford Superior Court, Manders says he and his wife left the U.S. on May 31, 2024, for a 10-day safari in Zambia, a country in southern Africa.

Five days later, the couple went on a “bush walk” with guides who led them to a river bank where a lone hippopotamus was resting in the water, the suit says. Known for being fiercely territorial and aggressive, hippos are among the most dangerous animals on earth.

Despite their size – adult males typically weigh over 3,000 pounds – hippos can run fast over short distances, reaching speeds upwards of 20 mph.

The guides “knew or should have known that the close presence of the wild hippopotamus to participants in the Bush Walk posed an immediate and extreme danger, due to the known tendencies of hippopotami to be highly unpredictable, territorial, and aggressive in such circumstances,” the lawsuit says.

But the guides, including at least one armed with a rifle, left the area, the suit says, leaving the Manders and others in their group to observe the hippo without any protection. 

Then, without warning, the hippo lifted its head and charged out of the water toward Lisa Manders, according to the lawsuit. The massive animal caught up with Manders and attacked her, the suit says.

“Although Lisa Manders attempted to flee, she was unable to escape and the hippopotamus violently attacked her, grabbing her by its mouth, lifting her off the ground, shaking her entire body, and crushing her head and body with its bite,” the suit says. 

Lisa Manders suffered “catastrophic injuries” and died shortly after, according to the lawsuit, which noted that her husband witnessed the attack.

A mother of three from Cranford, Manders worked in the financial industry for more than 40 years. “Lisa was the best mother and wife anyone could ever hope for,” her husband said. “Her violent death is a devastating loss not only for our family, but for our community.”

The lawsuit does not identify where in Zambia the attack occurred, but the country’s minister of tourism was quoted in a local news report lamenting the death of an American tourist killed by a hippo at the Lower Zambezi National Park on June 5, 2024. 

The government’s “thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the deceased, even as investigations continue on the incident,” the tourism minister, Rodney Sikumba, said in a statement, according to Radio Christian Voice. 

Craig Manders’ attorneys described the incident as an awful tragedy that was “entirely preventable.” 

“Interacting with the natural world in the wilderness can be an incredibly rich experience,” said Slager, of Slager Madry LLC. “But wilderness guides and tour operators like African Portfolio carry the responsibility to ensure basic safety precautions are taken to ensure customers visiting the African wilderness are not unnecessarily exposed to extreme dangers.”