The Daily Star's FREE newsletter is spectacular! Sign up today for the best stories straight to your inboxFarmer Marius Els insisted he 'trusted with his heart' that his beloved pet hippo Humphrey would not harm anybody.
You could argue that he was blinded by the close bond he'd forged with the fearsome creature - or you could say he was plain stupid.
Either way, he was very wrong - which he discovered in the most emphatic and horrifying way imaginable. His ripped and mutilated body was discovered floating in a blood-soaked river on his land in South Africa after Humphrey launched a devastating attack, biting his 'master' several times with his huge teeth.
Read more on dailystar.co.uk