When a baby hippo is born, it goes off with its mom on their own for like month or two. During this time, it learns to stick close to its mom and learns survival skills. After that, they both go back to their group of hippos, and the alpha male challenges them. During this challenge, the alpha male tries to kill the baby hippo. This is to see how well it sticks to its mom. The thing is, it's really life or death. Their is no "Oh, I could've gotten you there."