The young hippo was playing on its own when a small flock of oxpeckers scooped down on its back. Actually, it tolerated the birds for about 10 seconds before he wanted to get them off. However, these oxpeckers refused to leave. The funny story began! Image source: Caters NewsMarc Mol

The anxious calf yelled out for help when the oxpeckers begin pecking at its back. It was literally frightened. It tried all means to scare off unwanted passengers. "I'm not kidding. You guys stay away from me." The hippo ran and twisted its body around but they didn't work. It even tried fake running into the water to get the birds off. Thankfully, the birds soon gave up trying to feed and flew away.

As you may know, oxpeckers and hippos usually have a mutually beneficial relationship. These birds help free hippos of ticks and other parasites by feeding on them. But this time, they aren't welcomed by this baby hippo. It sees these birds as annoying pests and frantically tries to fend off them.

These hilarious moments were captured at the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia by photographer Marc Mol. He was concentrating on a pod of hippos when he saw the baby hippo running toward him with the oxpeckers on its back. "I was at first astonished as to what was going on, seeing this baby hippo running towards me and the safety of water, and then realized it was a small flock of Ox-peckers that were the culprits. It was very amusing to witness," Marc Mol said. "I had a real laugh when I realized that I had captured something a little different and yet very amusing, " He added.

When Marc shared photos of the baby hippo on the Internet, they went viral. People feel sorry for the young animal but can't stop laughing. Its expressions are so real and funny. It doesn't greet the oxpeckers. That's it.