Friday, July 27, 2007

The World's Stupidest Deaths...

I was in a charity shop the other day and this book (titled above) caught my eye and I had to waste 50p and a space in my bag to carry it home. It has turned out to be a very entertaining book.

My favourite story has to be the one about the dwarf and the hippo...

"In July 1999, during an exhibition in Northern Thailand, an Austrian dwarf and circus acrobat was killed when he bounced from a trampoline into the yawning jaws of a hippopotamus and was swallowed. Not realising that a terrible accident had occurred the 7000 strong crowd continued to applaud, unaware of the fact that the panicked crew and paramedics were not part of the act."

This yawning hippo just happens to be one I photographed in Thailand in December last year. I can't help but wonder if he had a dwarf in his tummy in 1999... He looks very very happy about something!
Although it would not have been much of a meal!!