'I was up to my waist down a hippo's throat.' He survived, and here's his advice

When a hippopotamus opens its mouth wide like this, that's a signal to get away as fast as possible. Papa Bravo/Adobe Stock CNN  —  Paul Templer was living his best life. He was 28 and conducting tours in his native Zimbabwe, with a focus on photographic safaris. He had been away for a few years, including a stint in the British army. But he had returned to Africa’s bush country “and fell back in love with it. The wildlife, the flora, the fauna, the great outdoors, the space – just everything about it. I was at home.” Templer said Zimbabwe’s guide certification program was rigorous, and there was a lot of pride among the guides who passed. He reveled in showing tourists the area’s majestic wildlife – including the water-loving, very territorial hippos. “It was idyllic,” he told CNN Travel. “Life was really, really good – until one day I had a really bad day at the office.” A good day for a river trek The entire course of Paul Templer's life changed after he agreed at the last minute to take a group of tourists down the Zambezi River. Paul Templer March 9, 1996. A Saturday. Templer learned a good friend who was to lead a canoe safari down the Zambezi River had malaria. He agreed to take his pal’s place. “I loved that stretch of the river. …