)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZCbPf3bcFE
It's a remarkable story of survival to say the least. The dude is a real stud, of that there is no doubt. I've never been in the presence of someone who had gone thru anything lke that. To say I was humbled in his presence is a gross understatement.
15 or so years ago while working at a kayak shop in Michigan we heard about this guy who had lost an arm to an encounter with a hippo on the Zambezi river. He was an African guy with ties to Michigan. Then, when he walked into our shop, we all knew exactly who he was before he even said a word.
We worked with a prosthesis manufacturer to design a one armed river paddle for him to use. It was a very clever design if I do say so myself.
Once we finished the paddle, we helped Paul relearn his eskimo roll, now of course with only one arm. We taught his friend how to paddle white water so he could document their up coming (in '96 any way) paddle of the Zambezi.
This story is cleaned up a little bit from the version I remember over beers at the pub after paddling with Paul one day. For example, I distinctly remember him telling us that many guides wore side arms whilst paddling the Zambezi, as did he. He said he reached for Evans with one hand while drawing his side arm with the other, only to have the hippo bite the weapon right out of his hand.
He also said he rememberred that he could feel the river water flowing right thru his body. By the time the hippo was done with him, he had 38 puncture wounds. The conventional wisdom amongst the river paddlers I know in Africa is that if you got attacked by a hippo, you wish it was a crocodile instead; that's how vicious hippos are.
Think of this the next time you are having a bad day at the office.
