Paul Templer told the story of his incredible salvation in a book he worked on for 17 years, reports usa. one.

When a man worked as a tourist guide and accompanied a group on a safari along the Zimbabwe River, a hippo swallowed him three times.

The fight with a wild animal deprived Paul of his hand and forever changed his life - becoming the beginning of a long journey to the American dream.

Paul literally started from scratch: learned to live without a hand, married an American, organized his own business, moved to Michigan.

Before the unfortunate incident, Paul lived in Africa and many times drove groups of tourists wishing to enjoy wildlife.. Once at a Victoria Falls, a tour group and experienced guide guides stumbled upon hippos. The animals were at a safe enough distance at first glance - and the guide was almost not worried. But suddenly Templer heard a loud splash behind him: a boat turned over next to him and one of the conductors found himself in the water.

Temper remembers shouting to another colleague to take tourists to the nearest stones, and at the next moment he realized that something was wrong with him. The hippo swallowed Paul from head to waist and began to shake with all his might.

At some point, a giant animal miraculously spat out a man: then Paul saw his colleague, who was floundering in the water, and tried to save him.

Templer tried to swim closer - but felt that he was grabbed by the hippo again, now by the legs.

The animal began to shake the helpless person like a rag doll, and then spat out again.

The third time a hippopotamus grabbed Templer, the traveler experienced genuine horror. Everything was like in slow motion. The man saw a huge open mouth, how the animal is going to bite it in half. And then I saw that the water turned red from his blood. Paul was sure that something would die from blood loss, or drown. The left arm was completely fragmented..

38 wounds were counted on the body, through one of which one could see the light guide.

But in some miraculous way, Templer still survived, while his colleague died.

Paula was taken to the nearest hospital. Hand had to be amputated. His life changed in an instant. After a course of treatment and rehabilitation, Paul returned to an active life. He wrote a book about his battle with the wild hippo and inspired millions after his story was told on the BBC, National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel.