Season 1
Dangerous Encounters: Undercover Hippo is an American documentary special which forms part of the Dangerous Encounters with Brady Barr documentary series.
The series follows herpetologist Dr. Brady Barr as he travels around the globe on a series of death-defying, hair-raising expeditions to study reptiles and other creatures in their native habitats.
In Undercover Hippo he sets out to get up close with the Nile hippo, using a fake hippo disguise in order to collect a sweat sample.
Dangerous Encounters: Undercover Hippo premiered in South Africa on DStv's National Geographic Channel on Thursday 17 April 2008, at 21h00. It is an hour in length.
Synopsis
It's the ultimate warrior. Part combat submarine, part terrestrial tank, armed with tusks that can grow up to a foot long and deliver a bone-crushing bite, meet the Nile Hippopotamus.
How do you work with what is reputed to be the most deadly animal in Africa? It's a dangerous encounter, Brady-style.
Watch as he develops his understanding of hippos and tests a new suit of armour to protect himself and the hippos he'll be working with. It's a lifesize model of a hippo with a reinforced cage for protection, in case he is perceived as a threat.
Brady is out to see how close he can get to the hippos of South Luangwa and do something that's never been done before: collect a sample of wild hippo sweat for scientific analysis.
Come along for the ride as Brady introduces Africa to an "American hippo".