Owen and Mzee, tortoise and hippo

[Paul]

   A lot of websites have parts of this wonderful story of a 120-year-old tortoise that befriends a baby hippopotamus. Owen the hippo was swept into the Indian Ocean by the last year's tsunami.

   Story and photos (http://www.nfi.org.za/mammal/hippo/a_baby_hippopotamus.htm)

   From news.com.au, Tortoise adopts baby hippo (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,11882216-13762,00.html)

      Paul

[gemini9961]

Aww how sweet. I'm glad the little hippo didn't perish in the Tsunami and now he has a new friend/mom.

[Paul]

   NPR has a longer story, audio and additional photos. From NPR, A Hippo and Tortoise Tale (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4754996)

   Here is Owen's keeper's diary! (http://www.lafargeecosystems.com/blog/index.php) Last updated on 21st July 2005.

      Paul

[Paul]

   "Owen & Mzee" (http://www.lafargeecosystems.com/downloads/Owen&Mzee_eBook.pdf) a free ebook from the keeper's website has a lot more photos and information. The first few photos are stylized (bad) but there are also wonderful photos in the book.

      Paul

[Paul]

From the ebook:

Mzee was born about 130 years ago on the string of coral islands of Aldabra that is near the island of Madagascar. Aldabra is the only place where these giant tortoises are born. So how did Mzee get all the way from Aldabra to Kenya I wondered?

Dr. Paula told us that Mzee was most likely taken from Aldabra by pirates. When Mzee was young there were still pirates (can you believe it?) who would steal these giant tortoises to use for food on their long voyages. The pirates would turn them upside down on their ships so they couldn’t walk around. Whenever the pirates got hungry I guess they just grabbed a poor tortoise for dinner!

Dr. Paula thinks Mzee somehow escaped and swam to Kenya when the pirates were shipwrecked on a coral reef. But I thought that maybe a nice pirate just set Mzee free.

Mzee had a very interesting life and traveled all over Kenya. Mzee ended up in Haller Park which was an old limestone quarry that was turned into a nature preserve. There were thirteen other Aldabran tortoises at Haller Park. But Mzee liked to stay by himself most of the time. As you can see Mzee doesn’t look like the friendliest tortoise.


      Paul

[Karen]

What a wonderful, wonderful story! Some of the photos are just great. A great story for kids from 1 to 100!

I love it!

Awwwwwwww!

[finn's mom]

Oh, how I love seeing interspecies relationships. People could certainly learn a lot from these friends. This just made me so happy....

[Almita]

Wonderful story soo cute that the hippo has a new friend/mom

[chocolatepuppy]

What a sweet story! They are both adorable. It's amazing how old the tortoise is!

[Karen]

I think it is a story everyone should show their kids! Gotta go PM Lady's Human - I bet Marylin would like the pictures AND the story, and Jennifer, too!

[Karen]

http://www.nfi.org.za/mammal/hippo/owen.jpg

Aren't they adorable?

[KYS]

I loved reading the story.
I best off all, I love that it had a happy ending. :D

Thank you so much for sharing a heart warming happy
story.

[ramanth]

What a gorgeous and touching tale. :)

[lizbud]

Oh, how I love seeing interspecies relationships. People could certainly learn a lot from these friends. This just made me so happy....


Sooo true. :) I loved this story. :D