The Hippo and the Tortoise
By Schala
@Schala (60)
United States
September 6, 2007 8:41pm CST
A baby hippo was swept out to sea by a tsunami off the coast of Kenya, seperating him from his mother prematurely. He was rescued and taken to Lafarge Park. There the hippo, not even a year old, formed a bond with a 100 year old male galapagos tortoise. He treats the tortoise as his surrogate mother. They do everything together (eat, sleep, swim) and the hippo grows agressive if anyone approaches the tortoise. This is a great story. It is heartwarming that two animals that are so different could be so close.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@dodoguy (1292)
• Australia
25 May 08
Hi Schala,
I believe that the Galapagos Turtles are very friendly and gregarious by nature.
They may be slow, and might not look very bright, but there's perhaps more to them than meets the eye.
It is very endearing to hear the story about the baby Hippopotamus and the turtle.
We have more in common with animals, and they with each other, than we'd think from appearances.
Animals are quite capable of being friends, given the opportunity. We see that all the time in domestic settings, but not so often in the wild. So it's nice to see something like this happen every now and then.
