Hippo and Tortoise

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Hippo and Tortoise

Baby Hippo and Giant Tortoise NAIROBI (AFP)

A baby hippopotamus has formed a strong bond with a giant male tortoise in an animal facility in the port of Mombassa, officials said.

The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kg (650 lbs) was orphaned and discovered near certain death in the Indian Ocean before wildlife rangers rescued him.

"It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise who is about 100-130 years old and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, told AFP.

"After it lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother.

Fortunately, it decided 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 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.

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. We can be different but still belong to the same family! Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together."

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