US man sues tour company after hippo kills his wife

A man is suing a U.S. company that organized a trip to Africa after his wife was fatally attacked by a hippopotamus last year, alleging that the company failed to ensure the safety of its tourists and that it inadequately screened and supervised its guides. The lawsuit states that Craig and Lisa Mendes were on a walking safari in Zambia when a hippo emerged from the water, grabbed Lisa Mendes, and crushed her head and body with its bite. The defendant is African Portfolio, an African travel company based in Greenwich, Connecticut, which has denied the allegations in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed on February 5 in Stamford, Connecticut, claims that Craig Mendes watched the attack unfold while the guides, including at least one carrying a rifle, stood by and did nothing to help. The lawsuit states that Lisa Mendes, 70, suffered catastrophic injuries and died shortly thereafter. Craig Mendes' attorney, Paul Slager, stated, "We filed the lawsuit because this should not have happened. Businesses are supposed to follow basic safety standards, including in the travel industry. But those standards were not followed, resulting in this devastating tragedy."

Slager stated that the lawsuit seeks unspecified economic damages and aims to hold those responsible for Lisa Mendes' death accountable, to ensure the safety of others in the future. He also stated that Craig Mendes is currently not giving interviews. The Mendes couple, from Cranford, New Jersey, had arranged the trip to commemorate their wedding anniversary and it was their first time in Africa. Lisa Mendes, who worked in the financial industry for over 40 years and loved cooking, traveling, and visiting New York City, was born in Queens in 1953.

Rodney Gould, the attorney for African Portfolio, stated that the company was not negligent or reckless in the death of Lisa Mendes. He stated that African Portfolio was only responsible for arranging the couple's accommodations, and that the owner of the accommodations, Chiawa Safaris in Zambia, provided the guides. "It's a terrible tragedy when someone is hurt or killed on a trip. It's awful," Gould said. "I think it's important to understand African Portfolio's role in this. It's a travel agent, and they put together the itinerary, they put the pieces together. My client didn't organize this trip, they just arranged it, booked all the components."

Gould also stated that the company was not negligent in vetting Chiawa because Chiawa has a good reputation. He said that African Portfolio will ask a judge to dismiss the lawsuit or to compel arbitration, a clause in the travel agreement signed by the Mendes couple. African Portfolio did not directly address the lawsuit in a statement. The statement said that Chiawa arranged the walking safari and that guests were accompanied by experienced and well-trained guides, a ranger, and an armed national parks scout. Chiawa informed authorities that safety measures had been taken before the attack and that "repeated warnings" were given to the guests to return to the safety of the vehicle "during the incident." When asked if the guests had received warnings about hippos before the attack, African Portfolio stated only in an email that "the statement accurately reflects what we understand about the events." Gould declined to comment.

The company also stated that its founder flew to Zambia immediately after the attack and worked with the owners of Chiawa to ensure that "everything possible was being done to support the family and all involved. We continue to keep the family and all those involved in this tragedy in our thoughts." The lawsuit does not mention Chiawa, stating that African travel is an "inherently dangerous activity" because wild animals are unpredictable and sometimes aggressive, requiring careful planning and execution to be completed safely. The lawsuit states that African Portfolio vetted and supervised the guides and guaranteed that they were capable, qualified, and trained to ensure the safety of tourists. The lawsuit alleges that African Portfolio "encouraged and/or permitted" the Mendes couple to be exposed to "an avoidable and highly dangerous encounter with dangerous hippos in the Zambian wilderness."

The lawsuit also accuses the company of failing to provide safe conditions during the wilderness walking safari and of failing to ensure that the guides were adequately selected, screened, supervised, and trained to provide a safe experience. The lawsuit states that African Portfolio also failed to take adequate measures to protect the Mendes couple before and after the attack. Hippos are the second-largest land mammal in the world after elephants, measuring about 3.5 meters long and 1.5 meters tall, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Male hippos weigh an average of about 3.2 tons. Hippos are known to be territorial and sometimes aggressive. In the year before Lisa Mendes' death, a hippo charged a canoe and capsized it in the southern African country of Malawi, killing seven people.

Estimates vary as to how many people are killed by hippos each year, with lower figures starting at around 500. The lawsuit states that Lisa Mendes suffered "severe pre-death fright and emotional distress, torment, and mental anguish" before her death. The lawsuit states that Craig Mendes has suffered severe and debilitating emotional and psychological injuries that make it difficult for him to cope with daily affairs. The lawsuit is seeking damages based on allegations of negligence and recklessness. "He's suing because of the loss of his wife and the impact it's had on his life," Slager said. "He's also making a claim for witnessing what happened to her, for witnessing the attack, which is unimaginable."