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Fri Mar 16, 2007 7:05 pm  |
NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the
tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong
bond with a giant male century-o ld 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 away 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.
"The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother.
If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive,
as if protecting its b iological mother," Kahumbu added.
"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and
by natu re, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their
mothers for four years," he explained.
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away."
This is a real story that shows that our differences don't matter
much when we need the comfort of another.
We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God,
"Look beyond th e differences and find a way to walk the path together."
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Sat Mar 17, 2007 12:50 am |
| I wonder how big the hippo will be in 4 years. They are wonderful pictures. |
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Sat Mar 17, 2007 1:33 am |
| This made me cry - in a good way. |
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Sat Mar 17, 2007 4:44 am |
Lovely  Thanks for sharing! |
_________________
A girl of 25, living in Singapore & still searching for that one line of skincare products that i can continue using for long term for my combi-dry-prone to bumps/spots skin... |
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Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:30 am |
| It touched my heart, too. I liked the picture of the baby hippo kissing the turtoise. That was just too adorable. I felt bad the baby hippo lost her mother, but glad she found the tortoise and adopted her for her surrogate mother. How awesome was that! I need to share this story with my sis who I am sure would absolutely love it. |
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Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:34 am |
| This made me cry too-- what a nice story! |
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27, sensitive/reactive/acne prone skin, dark brown hair, blue eyes, possibly the palest woman alive... |
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Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:39 am |
What a touching story!~really made me cry
And the pictures are even nicer. How adorable the baby hippo is! |
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:39 am |
| thx for sharing! |
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 10:50 am |
| That is so sweet! |
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40, fair skinned, dark hair, blue eyes |
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 12:30 pm |
| Thank you very much for sharing! |
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 9:34 pm |
I love this! Thank you so much.  |
_________________
combo - 33y/o routine: Clarisonic;PSF 5% BHA; Nia24 SS, KS Deep tissue repair, KIJ, quench, Detox daily clens; 's: Lips2Kiss; PSF: Pumpkin Peel, Papya cleanser, Acne Mud, R&R toner; Revitalash; |
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Tue Mar 20, 2007 4:57 pm |
| That's beautiful. I love hearing stories like this. And the pictures are excellent. Thanks for posting. |
_________________
Global Butterfly & Certified Aromatherapist/Holisitc Therapist with a passion for travel and natural health. |
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Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:29 am |
| bkkgirl ~ this is a very interesting post! mind if i copy it down and share with my friends? its really touching. |
_________________
Mid 20's, combination & sensitive skin |
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Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:54 am |
| rainbow_listic wrote: |
| bkkgirl ~ this is a very interesting post! mind if i copy it down and share with my friends? its really touching. |
I don't mind at all. Please share with all your friends. I even sent them to guy friends. I thought it was such a lovely story. I would never have thought a baby hippo would bond with a 100-yr-old tortoise.  |
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Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:02 am |
| It's so lovely! |
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:19 am |
Owen and Mzee have their own web log.
Here it is!
http://www.lafargeecosystems.com/main/blog.php
Owen is a little bigger now and he is now joined with a female hippo. Mzee, the tortoise who mothered Owen is separated from them because Cleo, the female hippo was a little too intimidating. Everyone's doing very well though. You can read all about Owen and Mzee's journey at that link. |
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:55 am |
| Oh how sweet, he must be tiny. |
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 4:44 am |
| That's so sweet, Cherisse! It's so nice to see two different species getting along! |
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 12:53 pm |
| that's adorable! |
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| Fri Nov 29, 2024 8:05 am |
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