Wednesday, December 28, 2005
A Heartwarming Tale
Rescued Hippo, Tortoise Mark Year Together
The unlikely couple of a baby hippo and a 130-year-old tortoise were still together, a year after the hippo was separated from its family by a tsunami. [...] Owen was living with his family on the Sabaki River when massive waves from the Indian Ocean tsunami reached the East African coast. He was washed into the ocean and stranded on a reef. Residents of Malindi, a small coastal town, used fishing nets to catch him. He was then taken to the Haller Park sanctuary, where he met Mzee adopted him as a surrogate parent. Owen may have been attracted by Mzee's round shape and gray color that are somewhat similar to that of an adult hippopotamus. The tortoise at first resisted. But the persistent Owen kept following him around the park, into the pool and trying to sleep next to him. Mzee relented after several days. As the bond grew, the tortoise even returned signs of affection. They are now inseparable.A book about the cross-species friendship will be published in March 2006.
More blogs about politics.
