American tourist attacked by hippo in Zimbabwe

A woman on holiday in Africa has been attacked by a hippo as she canoed down the famous Zambezi River.

Kristen Yaldor, 37, from Florida, was on holiday with husband Ryan near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe when they booked a canoe trip for her birthday

The couple were with two tour guides, when a mother hippo with a baby swam under the canoe.

They were launched into the air and the animal grabbed Kristen’s leg in its jaws and dragged her under the water, according to a report in the Tampa Bay Times.

Her husband swam to safety.

Mrs Yaldor remains in intensive care in South Africa after being airlifted to hospital with her injuries including a broken femur.

Hippos are among the world’s most dangerous animals, and Mrs Yaldor’s mother-in-law told the paper she was lucky to survive.

"If one of those (incisor) teeth hit her femoral artery, we would probably be planning a funeral today. By all accounts, she was incredibly lucky."

Mr Yaldor, who works with his wife at a phone and internet firm in Tampa, has disputed reports the couple were reckless.

He told the paper they weren’t warned about the hippo with a calf by tour company Wild Horizons, and said the guide’s radio and mobile phone didn’t work so there was a delay in getting help.

"We had no idea there was a baby," he told the paper. "We were just told, 'Hippos ahead on the right, let's move to the left.'"