Edition 54: Spring 2011
Tom Yule of Lemala Mara writes in with a heroic hippo story.
We were near Lemala Mara camp in the northern Serengeti watching wildebeest and zebra battling their way south across the torrent that was the Mara River when we observed something extraordinary – a large hippo coming to the rescue of a calf and foal. The hippo had been lying near the point where most of the animals had been plunging into the river when he observed a young wildebeest being pushed dangerously downstream by the current. The hippo immediately went after it, positioning himself on the downstream side of the calf and then using his snout to not only nudge the struggling animal across the river, but also to keep its head above water. After that success the hippo returned to his post and did the same for a zebra foal five minutes later. During this second rescue operation, the exhausted zebra ended up on a small rocky island near the opposite bank. It was at this point the hippo climbed from the water and urged the foal to finish its journey. Sure enough, after some nudging and gentle cajoling, the zebra stepped off of the island and crossed the little channel to rejoin the rest of its family group.
A video of this remarkable rescue is on Lemala’s website www.lemalacamp.com |
