Amazing True Story of Owen and MZee
A one-year-old hippo calf christened Owen was found alone and dehydrated by wildlife rangers near the Indian Ocean at Malindi, Kenya, in the days after the Asian Tsunami. He was placed in an enclosure at a wildlife sanctuary in Mombasa where he befriended a male tortoise. The tortoise is named Mzee, which is Swahili for 'old man'. Mzee 'adopted' Owen and they are still rarely seen apart. Their unusual bonding has surprised and delighted zoologists in Kenya and become worldwide news.