Owen and Mzee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Owen and Mzee are a hippopotamus and a tortoise, respectively, that appear to have formed a unique bond of friendship.
A baby hippopotamus, Owen, was orphaned in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Kenya near Malindi during the Asian Tsunami on December 26, 2004. The baby hippo, weighing 600 pounds (270 kg), was rescued during a day long effort by nearly 1,000 villagers using shark nets. Owen's namesake is a Frenchman named Owen Saubion, who finally tackled the hippo during the rescue.
Owen was taken to Haller Park, a restored limestone quarry near Mombasa owned by Lafarge Eco Systems' East African firm, Bamburi Cement. He was released into a large wooded penned-in area that included a pond and a co-inhabitant -- a 700-pound (320 kg), 130-year-old Aldabran tortoise named Mzee (Swahili for "wise old man").
Owen immediately bonded to Mzee, who initially resisted Owen's overtures. Over time, the old tortoise came to accept the young hippo, who began to mimic his adoptive "parent." Gradually, Mzee taught Owen, who was a nursing calf, what to eat and where to sleep.
In the first year, the two have become inseparable companions who eat, sleep, swim, and play together. They have surprised scientists with the strength of what appears to be a genuine bond, as well as a unique vocal communication that has developed between them.
Owen and Mzee have also become world-wide celebrities as a result of their astonishing behavior, captured on film and video primarily by British Broadcasting Corporation photographer Peter Greste. A picture book, Owen and Mzee: A true story of a remarkable friendship, published by Scholastic Press, authored by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Paula Kahumbu was released in February 2006. It hit the New York Times best sellers list at No. 5 in its first month. In March 2006 it became the New York Times No. 1 best-selling picture book for three consecutive weeks.
