True Tale of the Tortoise and the Hippo

A one-year-old male hippo calf was found in the Indian Ocean off Malindi on December 27, 2004 after the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami devastated the region. The calf, named Owen, was then placed in Haller Park wildlife santuary in Kenya, where he met a giant male toroise named Mzee. According to Snopes.com, Mzee "was not immediately taken with the brash newcomer he turned and hissed, forcing the hippo to back away. Yet Owen persisted in following the tortoise around the park (and even into a pool), and within days the pair had forged a friendship, eating and sleeping together. Owen has even been seen to lick the tortoise, whom he regards as his new mother." Wildlife experts speculate that Owen was attracted to Mzee because his body shape and color are similar to that of an adult hippo. As of December 2005, Owen and Mzee are still together one year later.