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ANOTHER MAGICAL ADOPTION |  Two years ago, the world was amazed by the story of a Kenyan lioness who adopted and protected a tiny Oryx calf. Now another miraculous adoption has taken place, this time on the Kenya coast where a tiny hippo calf separated from its family, has been adopted by a massive 120 year old tortoise.
In December, Kenya’s heavy monsoon rains caused minor flooding in the Sabaki River just North of Malindi on the Kenya coast. The rising waters influenced the habitat of a family of hippos living near the river mouth, and the massive amphibians were washed out to sea. The adult animals all managed to swim back to their home territory, but a small calf- less than a year old- was left behind in the open ocean.
Local fisherman and tourists saw the 600 pound/ 270 kilo male calf wallowing helplessly offshore for several days, and became concerned for his life. He was eventually rescued by Kenya Wildlife Service rangers, who wrapped him in a fishing net and put him in a truck to be taken to Haller Wildlife Park just outside Mombasa.
Once a disused Cement quarry, Haller Park has been converted into a wildlife sanctuary – known as Lafarge Ecosystems -with forest and wetland habitat for numerous local species, and is a popular tourist attraction. Even though this sanctuary is a haven for orphaned animals such as the hippo calf, he was very stressed on arrival.
The hippo, who was soon christened Owen (after one of his rescuers) was let loose in an enclosure with two giant tortoises and some bushbucks.
"When he arrived, he was completely exhausted and stressed," said Sabine Baer, a manager at Lafarge Eco Systems "He got up and started staggering around a bit and then he went straight for the tortoise. We never expected something like this. After all that being chased around by humans and all the noise and hassle, he must have been looking for protection”.
 At first the giant tortoise, who at 120 years of age has the well deserved name of Mzee (old man), hissed aggressively at the frightened hippo, but within a few days the tortoise was eating and sleeping with the hippo and acting like the calf's mother, even though Mzee is a male tortoise. Owen, meanwhile, treated the old tortoise like a parent, licking his face and following him everywhere.
"A mammal with a mammal, yes, it happens," Sabine says. "But reptiles and mammals, we haven't seen- We were all quite amazed to see how fast it happened."
When Katherine Houpt of Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York, heard about the case she said it could be a case of “Any port in a storm- Animals that live in groups are likely to become attached to anything, whether it's a person or another animal. When they're scared, it's more likely to happen."
Eventually, Owen will grow to be a huge 6,000 pounds (2,700 kilograms) adult easily outsizing his adoptive mother. Park Director Paula Kahumbu plans to introduce to one of the other resident hippos, Cleo, so he can be with his own kind.
In the meantime, Owen and Mzee remain inseparable. You can follow the story through their caretaker’s diary, and get plenty more information by visiting Lafarge Ecosystems
Photograph by Peter Greste |
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