I came across this article on Yahoo about how this hippo who got marooned after the 2004 tsunami formed a bond with a 130 year old tortoise at the Kenyan wildlife preserve that they brought the hippo to.
A giant tortoise and an orphaned baby hippo who forged an unusual friendship after the 2004 tsunami in southeast Asia are the stars of a new Web site so fans can follow their progress.
Mzee, a 130-year-old Aldabran tortoise, became a surrogate parent and inseparable friend to hippo Owen who was washed out to sea off the coast of Kenya, rescued by villagers and taken to a wildlife park where the tortoise lived.
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The animals' friendship came to international attention when New York-based father and daughter team, Craig and Isabella Hatkoff, teamed up with the park's chief environmentalist Paula Kahumbu to write a book about the pair, "Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship."
They have now released a second book, published by Scholastic, chronicling the deepening friendship, with Owen and Mzee living, sleeping and playing together, but also creating a language of their own.
"They have created sounds unique to hippo or to tortoise and use gentle nods and pushes to communicate with one another," said a spokeswoman from Scholastic which has just released"Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship."
The second installment in the animals' story follows their remarkable friendship at Haller Park Animal Sanctuary nearMombasa, Kenya, which is operated by Lafarge EcoSystems, a unit of Kenyan cement maker Bamburi.
It's very sweet. They (Owen and Mzee) overlook the fact that they look nothing alike and form a mutually beneficial relationship... if humans could do that, who knows, maybe we could have a calmer world? Just a thought...
You can check out the website for more info: Owen and Mzee
From Yahoo News
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