A SOUTH AFRICAN farmer who once said that his pet hippopotamus was “like a son” to him has been found dead after being mauled by the animal.

Mauris Els, 41, who kept 20 different species of wild and exotic animals at his farm in north west South Africa, took in the hippo as an infant almost six years ago after the animal was caught up in a flood, news.com.au reports.

On Sunday, Els’ savaged body was found submerged in a river running across his farm after being bitten to death by the 1,200kg bull hippo.

Just last year, Els had been videoed playing with the hippo, named Humphrey, and had said that the animal was “just like a human”, reports the Guardian.

“There’s a relationship between me and Humphrey and that’s what some people don’t understand,” he said, “They think you can only have a relationship with dogs, cats and domestic animals. But I have a relationship with the most dangerous animal in Africa”.

However, earlier this year Humphrey showed his dangerous side when he stalked a man and his grandson who were canoeing down the Vaal River, forcing them to scramble up a tree for safety. The pair were rescued by paramedics hours later.

Hippopotamuses are considered to be one of the world’s most dangerous animals. Despite their cumbersome appearance, they can run up to 30km/h and are believed to kill about 300 humans a year – often without apparent provocation, according to the Daily Mail.