Hippos in Russia – level 3
Highly aggressive, unpredictable and among the most dangerous animals in the world – hippopotamuses can be used for fighting, but here in Russia, it's quite the opposite. Ten-year-old Zlat, Jana and Ida instead performing tricks as part of a touring circus show. They roll over, jump over, and even play a real-life version of Hungry Hippos.
The animals are considered to be very easily frightened when they live in the wild, but their handler insists the show is totally safe for spectators, most of whom seem completely at ease with how close the hippos get.
Now that trio has been fully trained no physical force is used on them to perform – whether they want to is another question.
Difficult words: unpredictable (changeable in mood), handler (a person who trains an animal), insist (say that something is true), spectator (a person watching a performance), at ease (being calm).