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Is There A Hippo Hiding In The Chicago River?

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 08:09 PST, Sep 22, 2014

The Chicago River may be home to an unknown creature that has escaped detection until recently, according to a video posted online which purports to show an animal resembling a hippopotamus swimming in the urban waterway.

The video, lasting just 27 seconds, was uploaded to YouTube by a user in Chicago named Chris O., according to The Daily Mail. It shows an unknown creature spotted rising under a bridge in the Chicago River. Two men can be heard talking to each other at the start of the video, with one observing that the unidentified object had submerged under the surface of the river. The second man can be heard trying to verify where the animal was initially seen.

As a boat approaches the area, a dark object can be seen in the river. Passengers appear to observe it as one of the men filming the video relates that the vessel is heading toward the unidentified object. The boat appears to change course, skirting the perimeter of the dark shape that rises from the river almost directly in its path.

While the video has already garnered over 40,000 views, some have questioned its veracity. The Blaze notes that this particular section of the Chicago River is heavily traveled by watercraft, including sightseeing boats frequented by tourists. If an animal such as a hippo were to make its home in Chicago, it would hardly be able to escape notice in the river by the general public.

Officer Jose Estrada of the Chicago Police Department related that no similar incidents had been reported in the area of the river.

“There have been no reports of wild animals roaming the streets or the rivers of Chicago.”

The video, posted on Sept. 15th by Chris O., is the only one attributed to that user, further adding to the suspicions of skeptics. Recent photographs of other unidentified aquatic animals have recently been called into question as well, as The Inquisitr has previously reported. An image purporting to show a Loch Ness Monster-like creature in England circulated online several weeks ago, prompting accusations that it was photoshopped. Just last week, video of a lake monster in Iceland was confirmed to be genuine by a local commission, despite assertions that it depicted little more than a fishing net or rope caught on a branch.

Whatever the object proves to be, Chicago residents will no doubt be scanning the length of the river for evidence of the unknown animal.

[Image via The Daily Mail]

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