Owen was only a few months old when the sea took everything from him.
On December 26, 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami separated this baby hippopotamus from his herd on the coast of Kenya. He was found alone, frightened, stranded among the debris of a disaster that killed hundreds of thousands of people. He was taken to Haller Park, a sanctuary in Mombasa, in the hope that he would recover alongside other hippos.
But Owen did not choose his own kind. He chose Mzee, a giant Aldabra tortoise over 100 years old, because his huge, dark shell reminded him of an adult hippopotamus. At first, Mzee rejected him, turning his head and hissing to drive him away. Owen did not give up. He slept with his head resting on Mzee’s shell, followed him everywhere, and never left his side.
The caretakers thought it was temporary. It lasted for years. They ate together, rested together, and kept each other company during a time when Owen had been left completely alone. During that time, the little hippopotamus and the elderly tortoise became one of the most documented interspecies bonds in history.
In 2006, Owen began interacting with Cleo, another hippopotamus, and was eventually separated from Mzee. Their paths took different directions, but for years, whenever Owen needed company, Mzee was by his side. And that unlikely friendship remained forever as the memory of two animals who found each other when they needed each other most.
