Hippopotamus gets a Turtle mum. - General Discussion

Faeden · 18-01-2006, 00:53

NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise, in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said.

The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

"It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park, told AFP.

"After it was swept and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added.

For the rest of the story and pics, click on the following link.

http://www.energywave.com/about-us/t...ippo-story.htm

Stascream · 18-01-2006, 01:40

thats a big tortoise

FOXPRESIDENT · 18-01-2006, 01:49

Come on people.....

All Together now.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Thats so funny!

18-01-2006, 00:53	#1
Faeden Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2,749	Hippopotamus gets a Tortoise mum. NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise, in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said. The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him. "It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park, told AFP. "After it was swept and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. For the rest of the story and pics, click on the following link. http://www.energywave.com/about-us/t...ippo-story.htm Last edited by Faeden : 18-01-2006 at 01:43.

18-01-2006, 01:40	#2
Stascream Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Swindon / Southampton Posts: 1,180	thats a big tortoise

18-01-2006, 01:49	#3
FOXPRESIDENT Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: UK Services: All Terestial Channels & Sky Digital channels, AOL Broadband, Posts: 3,158	Come on people..... All Together now. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thats so funny!