This is your shot. Which gun would you like to have in this nightmare situation and where is your aim point?
I'm thinking 600 Nitro Express, aiming at the ear/eye area:
Not the same hippo, but it was taken with a 600 Nitro Express, shown.
And I hope I would've been smart enough to choose a different vantage point from which to cover my friends. Although it might not have helped much in this situation. They said the hippo exploded out of the grass like a cannon shot. So even if you had been on the other side, to the right of your two buddies, the beast probably would've been on top of them before you could get off a shot and you'd be cutting it awfully close to stop him without hitting them.
Background: In late 2010, veterinarians in South Africa thought they had tranquilized a hippo, but the drug did not take. The senior vet on his back in the water got a nasty gash on his leg, but survived. The other vet helping him should get some kind of medal for bravery. The hippo had to be killed according to one report I saw on the web, although I have no idea where the gunman was standing, or where he aimed. That's why I'm asking. Thx