The Hippos of St Lucia

The St Lucia Wetlands are a World Heritage Site on the north-east coast of South Africa, below Mozambique. Here hippos proliferate, unchallenged, wandering at night through the town of St Lucia and wallowing by day in the muddy waters.

In these black-and-white photographs they seem placid, at ease, but they are not to be messed with - hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal.

Best viewed from the decks of a sturdy and stable pontoon boat, as we did - at sundown, with gin-and-tonic in hand.