Toegestuurde mail van Drika:
�� The � Hippo and the Turtle
� Much � of life can never be explained but only � witnessed."
NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus �that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a � strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise, in an animal � facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials � said.
The � hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 �pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore �when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, 2004 �before wildlife rangers rescued �him.
"It is � incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male � tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very � happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in � charge of Lafarge Park, told AFP.
"After it � was swept and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to � look for something to be a surrogate mother. � Fortunately, it �l anded 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 follows 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 tha t like to stay with their � mothers for four years," he explained.
[Look at �this beautiful picture!!]
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. Look beyond the differences and find a way to � walk the path together.
Save the � Earth. � It's the only planet with chocolate.