A New Jersey woman and mother-of-three, Lisa Manders, was in Zambia alongside her husband, Craig back in June 2024 for a ten-day safari. While at a "bush walk" alongside tour guides, a hippopotamus suddenly charged from a river, violently attacking and killing Lisa. Craig Manders is now suing the tour operator, African Portfolio, for negligence.
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According to the Daily Mail, the Manders traveled to the African country on May 31, 2025, to celebrate their anniversary. Five days later, on June 5, 2024, they went out on a guided "bush walk" that, tragically, led to Lisa's gruesome death. As the hippo rose from the waters, it began charging toward Manders. She attempted to run away, to no avail.
"She was unable to escape and the hippopotamus violently attacked her, grabbing her by its mouth, lifting her off the ground, shaking her entire body, and crushing her head and body with its bite," the lawsuit filed by Craig reads.
According to the New York Post, as Lisa Manders was being mauled to death by the hippo, the tour guides fled the scene. Craig Manders, reportedly, was left hopelessly alone. He watched in horror as his wife's last moments were taking place inside the hippo's mouth. She died shortly after the incident, succumbing to her catastrophic injuries.
Legal Battle
Craig Manders, following the loss of his wife, filed a lawsuit against Connecticut-based African Portfolio on February 5, 2025. He seeks damages alleging negligence and recklessness.
"Had we understood the dangers posed by the hippopotamus, we never would have agreed to be in such close contact while on foot," Manders said in a statement shared by his attorneys. "The idea that we were unwittingly exposed to such an extreme danger, a danger made even worse by our tour guides leaving Lisa alone on foot with nothing between her and such a deadly animal, is nothing short of astonishing."
Manders argues that the tour guides "should have known" that there was a wild hippopotamus where the "bush walk" took place. "There are basic safety standards that businesses are expected to follow, and that includes people in the safari tour industry," Paul Slager, Manders's attorney, told CBS News. "And those were not followed, and the consequences here were absolutely devastating."
At the same time, Rodney Gould, African Portfolio's attorney, claims that the company was not negligent. Gould states that the company only arranged the Manders's lodging. Another company, Zambia's Chiawa Safaris, was the one who provided the tour guide. He also stated that Chiawa Safaris had an excellent reputation.
"It's a horrible tragedy when somebody goes on one of these trips and is injured or killed. It's awful," Gould said. "I think it's important to understand what African Portfolio's role in this is. It's a tour operator. It arranges trips. It puts together the pieces. My client didn't conduct the safari. It arranged it. It booked all the components."
