KENYA: A baby hippo rescued from the Tsunami forms a friendship with 100 year old giant tortoise at Haller Park, Mombasa

Record ID: 362840

  • Title: KENYA: A baby hippo rescued from the Tsunami forms a friendship with 100 year old giant tortoise at Haller Park, Mombasa
  • Date: 3rd June 2006
  • Summary: AUDIENCE
  • Embargoed: 18th June 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Environment / Natural World
  • Reuters ID: LVA6J51RXG1W4K2MMS3IIQOBBFKW
  • Story Text: This is Haller Park, a recreation and education park located in Mombasa off the Indian coast of Kenya. It is here where you will find the extraordinary pairing of two animals from different worlds living together.
    Nicknamed "Mzee" a Swahili word meaning "Old and Wise" a 100 year old giant tortoise formed a friendship with a baby Hippo nicknamed "Owen" following a dramatic rescue.
    Late in 2004 flood waters in Kenya swept a herd of hippopotamuses down the Sabaki River and into the Indian Ocean. But before the hippos could settle, Tsunami struck and it effects spread to the East coast of Kenya. The Hippos were swept away into the Indian Ocean.
    Most adult Hippos struggled to shore and returned inland but not Owen, who was left stranded. It wasn't until a few days later, that local wildlife officials spotted Owen and rescued him. He weighed about 270 kilograms.
    When they took Owen to a sanctuary for wild animals, he ran off to Mzee and immediately their friendship kicked off. They have been living together since and have attracted both local and international tourists.
    "If two very very different creatures get along like this, then why cannot the Iraqis, and the British, Americans, Palestinians, Israelis get on?" Said Jayesh Mehta, a tourist who brought his kids to see the hippo.
    Peter Greste a journalist who witnessed rescue, captured images that later inspired a 7 year girl to co-author a book with her father based of Lives of Owen and Mzee.
    "I took the first images of Owen being rescued and a few days later we came back and saw the the remarkable relationship unfolding right before us," said Greste.
    "The thought of a reptile and a mammal living together was really an extraordinary moment and I think that's what inspired us to pursue it and it's really been quite a journey," added Craig Hatkoff, the co-aothor of the Owen & Mzee children's book.
    Now their story has turned into a best selling book and film documentary "Owen & Mzee: The true story of a remarkable friendship" which made its Kenyan debut at the Haller park, where the two first met.
    The film shows the first Images of Baby Owen stranded alone by the shores of the Indian Ocean and the quick response of Locals saving Owen as he struggled in the salty waters. It also demonstrates enormous efforts and struggles experts handling Owen went through during the rescue. It explores the bond both Mzee and Owen have struck over the year baffling scientists and marking one of the most unusual animal relationship that has ever been documented.
    The book released early this year is already a children number one best seller in America and is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Russian and now plans are under way to have it translated into Kiswahili- Kenya local language.
    Owen and Mzee have become celebrities appearing on T-shirts, key chains and their true friendship is just but the beginning of things to come.
    A project is underway to have Owen introduced to another grown up female Hippo in the park but experts say that Mzee will be nearby, just in case Owen feels threatened by the new environment or has the urge to visit his old friend.
    "Owen is still a baby, he's growing very fast and he will soon be monumental compared to "Mzee" , he could hurt Mzee," said Paula Kahumbu, an ecologist in charge of Haller Park
    But until the separation happens, the lives of these two inseparable friends remains together as they share a muddy pool and continue to challenge the human race with their true friendship.
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