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February 02, 2006
Incredible photos of a baby hippo that was stranded by the tsunami and the tortoise that adopted him
Stumble It!
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. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added.
"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," he explained.
(I think this is one of the cutest, sweetest and most endearing things I’ve come across in quite some time – Emily)
February 2, 2006 in animal pictures, cute pictures, funny pictures | Permalink | Email This Post
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Comments
ANOTHER ONE
Posted by: Dina Miller | Feb 3, 2006 10:55:56 AM
I think this is soooo cute
Posted by: Kristin | Feb 4, 2006 6:43:34 PM
I have 4 tortoises myself and it is amazing to see a tortoise as big as that, adopting a hippo.!!!
Posted by: Megan | Feb 7, 2006 6:45:24 AM
COMMENT DELETED BY SITE OWNER BECAUSE IT WAS OFFENSIVE AND MORONIC
Posted by: Nohbdy | Feb 7, 2006 11:33:32 AM
to that goddamn retard who talked obout satan and stuff. get a fricking life!! the tortois is not taking advantege, they are not kissing and even if they were have you never kissed your mother?? if you found out you were adopted would that make it wrong?? seriously, i think you are a very sad person if you cannot see the sweetness of this story. the hippo needed a mother and the tortiose is looking after it. and as for the michael thing, he was aquitted wasnt he?? get you goddamn facts right.
Posted by: annoyed | Feb 7, 2006 11:43:42 AM
Nohbdy, you might have a point there. You can actually see some trees in the back gound kissing and rubbing branches. Devil is everywhere starting with your skull (note that I haven't mentioned brain, can you guess why?).
Now, seriously, wild life keeps wondering us.
Posted by: njozi | Feb 7, 2006 12:01:13 PM
1st off it is rediculous to find anything sexually devious between the two, for one thing dolphins are the only other mammals who have sex for pleasure, not to mention tortoisei(sp?) only have sex like once every 300 years.... This is simply an anomly, a pretty amazing event. The real problem to worry about is whether or not the Hippo will learn to live on its own without a proper mother. Seriously though, how could you think this was moraly wrong? Even by Christianity animals don't have souls and arent subject to moral reason. It's just absurd that you could be that fanatical and ignorant. I digress, I don't think the hippo will be able to live a very healthy life, een with this surregout mother.
Posted by: David_the_Plaid | Feb 7, 2006 12:46:16 PM
Such a cute strange story, I'm going to pass it on ^__^
Posted by: Jayembee | Feb 7, 2006 12:58:32 PM
people... i'm pretty sure nohbody was joking. no one can seriously believe what he has said so LET IT GO.
Posted by: GET-A-GRIP | Feb 7, 2006 1:25:06 PM
Hahaha...no kidding! GET-A-GRIP is right, when I read nohbody's post I laughed. Either he/she's poking fun, or she/he's funny despite him/herself. Laugh it off, you're battling morals on behalf of a hippo and a tortoise, for heaven's sake.
Posted by: amused | Feb 7, 2006 2:39:14 PM
I thought you might want to check this out. if you like it forward it to your freinds!!!!!
Posted by: Ivy | Feb 7, 2006 5:53:46 PM
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Posted by: Debi | Feb 7, 2006 6:44:21 PM
Awwww, how sweet. I think I'm gonna cry, does anyone have a tissue?
Posted by: Animal Lover | Feb 7, 2006 7:31:28 PM
For God's sake. "Kissing" has never been an unholy act, and was, int he beginning of time, a motherly thing. Over the centuries, w as humans have perferted it.
Soooo cute by the way. :3
Posted by: Rachel | Feb 7, 2006 8:02:17 PM
Even if he was joking it's a really stupid joke . i would say this is one of my seven wonders
Posted by: person | Feb 7, 2006 10:54:06 PM
rofl
Posted by: Napoleon | Feb 7, 2006 11:22:39 PM
LOL
Posted by: LOL | Feb 7, 2006 11:31:54 PM
a nice show of animals caring for each other
ps Nohbody ur a sick minded a**hole
Posted by: a 14 yr old kid | Feb 8, 2006 1:22:46 AM
dat is sooooooo cute lol
Posted by: saffy | Feb 8, 2006 11:49:37 AM
both MEGAN and NOHBODY are stupid morons...just wanted to get their names noticed just to remind us that there are, unfortunately, IDIOTS who own computers, without friggin brains........both of you's, go COMMIT SUICIDE and do us all a favor..........PLEASE!!!!!!!
Posted by: marilyn | Feb 8, 2006 1:50:54 PM
OOPS, SO SO SORRY, MEGAN, DARLING, YOU ARE A WONDERFULLY SWEET SOUL, PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES, HONEY.............NOHBODY, YOU ARE JUST THAT, MORON, A NOBODY,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,CRAP, YOU CANT EVEN SPELL YOUR OWN NAME RIGHT............FIGURES,,,,,,,,MORON
Posted by: marilyn | Feb 8, 2006 1:56:22 PM
wow, marilyn...just...wow. You just worked yourself up over some silly satyrical joke on the internet about a hippo and a tortoise.
Say that to yourself. "I just became angry and insulted someone because they made a stupid joke about a couple of animals on the internet."
You really need to think now...who looks like the bigger moron? The guy with the dry wit (or, maybe he was serious. Who knows) just making a smart-alec joke, or the person who takes it far to seriously and tells him to take his own life.
I personally don't see how nohbody's death would benefit any of "us"...I personally hope he (or she) doesn't.
Now think this to yourself...or out loud, it doesn't matter: "I just wished death on someone because they made a snide remark about a couple of animals on the internet."
By the way, THE CAPS LOCK DOESN'T MAKE YOU COOL. It does however, make you look like a moron. And you know all about those morons, right? Also, an ellipsis really only needs three periods, not a batallion of commas.
Here's a helpful hint: next time you want to call someone an idiot on the internet, don't make an ass out of yourself in the process. Use capital letters at the beginning of a sentence only and not throughout, use an exclamation point (one only, please) to mark displeasure (or punctuation at all, dear), and let your comma/period keys breath a little, for heaven's sake. Also, grammar wouldn't kill you.
Yes, it was a dumb joke, and even dumber if it wasn't a joke, but it's nothing worth choking yourself up over, love. Maybe it's you that should stay off the computer for a while, if this is how you respond to others' opinions.
Breathe a little. Laugh a little. I'm sure life will seem less depressing to you once you do.
Posted by: Calm Down | Feb 8, 2006 2:44:54 PM
I couldn't help but ask this little question in response to Nohbody's comment. Aren't Tortises and Hippo's like...vegetarians?
Just a question
But the pictures are really cool.
Posted by: Huh.. | Feb 8, 2006 3:59:54 PM
marilyn... dont insult anyone unless you know whta you are talking about.. NOBODY IS the correct spelling but NOHBDY is the correct spelling too.. have you ever read the odyssey???? The name NOHBDY is what odyseus uses to trick the cyclops... and yes, i think the original poster, was just kidding... get over it!!! it was a JOKE!! do you guys have a sense of humor???
Posted by: Josh | Feb 8, 2006 6:37:57 PM
Aww very cute., in reference to somebody's question, hippos are known to be omnivores (carnivorous & vegetarian), and when fully grown have been known to frequently attack and consume humans in the wild.
Posted by: the foolish mortal | Feb 9, 2006 4:49:36 AM
