It's not every day that you hear about a giant tortoise and a baby hippo being best friends.
Despite meeting under difficult circumstances, the two have formed a strong bond that has
helped them both to thrive.
The baby hippo, in particular, would not have survived without the guidance and care of
the tortoise, who has acted as a kind of adoptive mother.
The two first met in 2004, when a tsunami struck Southeast Asia, causing widespread
devastation among both people and animals.
The story of Owen and Mzee began when a young hippo, Owen, was swept away from a river and
into the Indian Ocean.
Thankfully, he was rescued by wildlife rangers.
However, due to his small size when he was first found, the story began with the challenging
start.
When Owen, a baby hippo, was found by wildlife rescuers, he was in critical condition and
his survival was uncertain.
He was promptly given medical care and then transported to Haller Park, a wildlife sanctuary
in Kenya.
Once he had recovered and was deemed well enough, he was placed in an enclosure where
he met his unlikely friend.
An Eldabra giant tortoise named Mzee, which means "old man" in Swahili, was also living
in the enclosure at Haller Park.
Being over a century old, Mzee was quite an elder.
Owen, the young hippo immediately ran towards Mzee, but the old tortoise wasn't too keen
on the idea, and turned his head away.
But Owen did not give up and didn't back off, this friendship was just starting.
Like all young animals, Owen was quite persistent and followed his new friend around the park,
even into the pool.
Eventually, Mzee warmed up to the little hippo and the two became inseparable friends.
The staff at the park observed Owen affectionately licking and nuzzling Mzee as if he were his
own mother.
Workers at the park noticed that Mzee had resemblance in shape and coloration to an
adult hippopotamus and one of the ecologists suggested that this could be why Owen feels
so comfortable with him.
Paula Kahumbu, an ecologist who observed the unusual friendship said that it was incredible
to see how content Mzee was with taking on the role of a mother figure to Owen.
Paula Kahumbu, the ecologist, further explained that Owen, the hippo was traumatized after
he lost his mother and was swept away.
He was searching for something to take on a maternal role in his life, which led him
to form an attachment to Mzee the tortoise.
According to her, the two animals swim, eat, and sleep together and have formed a strong
bond beyond just that.
Paula Kahumbu also observed that typically, young hippos stay with their mothers for four
years, but as Owen was orphaned at only one year old, he began to mimic that behaviour
with Mzee.
She noted that Owen follows the old tortoise just as a young hippo would its mother.
Also, when someone come close to Mzee, Owen would become protective, just as if he was
protecting his biological mother.
The unlikely friendship between the baby hippo and the century-old tortoise caught the attention
of many people around the world, including father and daughter duo Craig and Isabella
Hatkoff.
Along with ecologist Paula Kahumbu, they chronicled their story in a book about their adorable
bond.
The Hatkoff went on to release a second book, delving deeper into the depth of the friendship
between the two animals.
The book provides an insight into the everyday life of Owen and Mzee, how they sleep, play
and live together.
It also describes how the two formed a new language, communicating with each other by
pushing, nodding, and making various sounds.
Craig Hatkoff stated that this true story which is hard to believe, teaches many valuable
lessons.
To further share the story of Owen and Mzee, Craig Hatkoff also created a website dedicated
to the best friends that offers children a set of online resources and activities.
Because Owen learned much of his behaviour from Mzee, he didn't initially know how to
act like a hippo.
Staff at the park closely observed his actions and noticed that he was mimicking more of
the tortoise's behaviour.
Owen was observed to be eating mostly tortoise-like food such as leaves and carrots, instead of
grass which would be a normal diet for hippos.
Additionally, he sleeps at night, another behaviour that is atypical for hippos.
Even more, when he hears the calls of other hippos, he doesn't respond to them, as he
has formed an attachment to Mzee, seeing him as a surrogate mother.
Even though tortoises are known to be less social or affectionate animals, according
to ecologist Paula Kahumbu, Mzee broke the mold.
He was observed following Owen all around the park, enjoying walks with him and even
playing in the water together.
It seems that through his bond with Owen, Mzee has learned to show love and affection.
Mzee was even seen stretching out his neck for Owen to lick him.
They spent close to three years together.
However, as Owen grew, it became clear that Mzee's safety had to be taken into account,
due to the hippo’s growth potential to reach 3-4 tons.
Paula Kahumbu, explained that the young and playful Owen would grow to be a large adult
hippopotamus, and Mzee's safety had to be taken into consideration.
As Mzee was quite old and unable to keep up with the growing calf, it was feared that
Owen's playful behaviour could accidentally harm Mzee.
To ensure their safety, staff at the sanctuary made the difficult decision for Owen to let
go of his strong bond with Mzee and form relationships with animals more his own size.
They introduced him to a young female hippo named Cleo.
Gradually, Cleo replaced Mzee in Owen's life and the two became inseparable.
Mzee, in turn, went back to living a peaceful life of a solitary tortoise.
While Owen learned how to behave like a typical hippo from Cleo, it's hard not to wonder if
he ever longed to play with his first friend, Mzee.