OWEN & MZEE …
The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
This is the true story of two great friends: a baby hippopotamus names Owen and a 130-year-old giant tortoise named Mzee. The hippo was not always friends with the tortoise. Owen was found stranded the day after the tsunami that occurred in the eastern Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. Here’s the story….
Before the baby hippopotamus became known as Owen, he lived with his mother in a group, or pod, with about twenty other hippos. They fed and wallowed in and around the Sabaki River in Kenya, a nation on the east coast of Africa. When he was about one year old, heavy December rains flooded the river. The racing water washed Owen and his family down the river, until the freshwater became salty and the river flowed into the Indian Ocean, near the small coastal town of Malindi.
On the morning of December 26, 2004, the sea suddenly rushed high onto the beaches, and surging waves pounded the shore. Many of the villagers’ boats were damaged, and many fisher-men had to be rescued. Before long, the sea was calm again, but it was a frightening time for everybody. A day passed before anyone thought to check on the hippos. The villagers now saw only one hippopotamus in the sea – a baby without his mother, stranded on a sandy coral reef. Tired and frightened, he was unable to reach the shore on his own.
Soon, hundreds of villagers and visitors were working together to help the young hippo. They knew that he would become sick if he stayed in the salty seawater for long. They used ropes, boats, fishing nets, and even cars to rescue him and bring him to shore safely.
The rescue was not going to be easy. The baby hippo was only about two feet tall, but he weighed 600pounds and was slippery and strong. And the hippo was scared by all the humans. Angrily, he broke through their nets and escaped from their ropes. Hours when by and the people who gathered to watch feared that the hippo could not be saved.
Finally, with a stronger shark net, they were able to catch the hippo. A brave visitor named Owen Sobien tackled him, stopping him long enough to let others secure the net. That is why the hippo is called “Owen”.
At last, the rescuers towed the baby hippo toward land. When they reached the shore, a loud, cheer went up from the thousand people on the beach. Their happy cries could be heard almost a mile away. Wrapped in the net, Owen was lifted into the back of a pickup truck and brought to a shady spot.
People weren’t sure what to do with Owen. They called Haller Park, an animal sanctuary about fifty miles away, near the city of Mombasa. Dr. Paula Kahumba, the manager, immediately offered Owen a place to live there. She explained that he could never be returned to the wild. Since he was still a baby, he wouldn’t know how to take care of himself. And he would never be welcomed into another hippo pod – he would be seen as an intruder and attacked. But they would take good care of him in Haller Park. Dr. Paula and the chief animal caretaker, Stephen Tuei drove to Malindi to bring Owen to his new home.
Meanwhile, others at Haller Park prepared a large enclosure for Owen at the park. They chose a part that had a pond and mud wallow, as well as tall trees and brush – everything a hippo could want. The area was already home to a number of monkeys and a giant Aldabra tortoise called Mzee.
Mzee’s life was about to change.
When Owen finally arrived with Dr. Paula and Stephen, he was weak and tired. As soon as the ropes that held him were untied, Owen left the truck and went directly to Mzee, who was resting in a corner of the enclosure. Owen crouched behind Mzee, the way baby hippos often hide behind their mothers for protection. At first, Mzee wasn’t happy about this attention. He hissed at Owen and crawled away. But Owen, who could easily keep up with the old tortoise, did not give up. Slowly, as the night went on, Mzee began to accept his new companion.
Over the next few days, Mzee continued to crawl away, and Owen continued to follow him. But sometimes it was Owen who would walk away from Mzee, and Mzee who would follow. Little by litter, Mzee grew friendlier.
At first, Owen wouldn’t eat any of the leaves left out for him. Stephen and the others worried that he would get weaker. Then they noticed Owen feeding right beside Mzee, as if Mzee were showing him how to eat. Or perhaps it was Nzee’s protective presence that helped Owen feel calm enough to eat. No one will ever know. But it was clear that the bond between Owen and Mzee was helping the baby hippo to recover from being separated from his mother and stranded in the sea.
Their bond remains very strong to this day. They swim together, eat together, drink together, and sleep next to each other. They rub noses. Owen leads the way to different parts of the enclosure, then Mzee leads the way. Owen playfully nuzzles Mzee’s neck, and Mzee stretches his neck forward asking for more, just as he does when Stephen tickles him under the chin.
News of Owen and Mzee’s friendship quickly spread around the world. People all over have come to love Owen, who endured so much, yet never gave up, and Mzee, who became Owen’s friend when he needed one most. Their photo-graphs have appeared in many newspaper and magazine articles. Television programs and even a film documentary have been made about them.
Owen suffered a great loss. But with the help of many caring people, and through his own extraordinary resilience, Owen has begun a new, happy life. Most remarkable is the role that Mzee has played. We’ll never know for sure whether Owen sees Mzee as a mother, a father, or a very good friend. But it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that Owen isn’t alone – and neither is Mzee. And that is the true story of Owen and Mzee, two great friends.
Owen and Mzee and the Tsunami of December 2004: The towering waves of the tsunami were caused by a massive earthquake under the ocean floor near Indonesia. More than 175,000 people lost their lives, and entire towns were destroyed. By the time the tsunami traveled 4,000 miles to the shores of Kenya, the waves had lost much of their force and damage there was less severe. But the whole world was shocked and saddened at the news of this disaster. The story of Owen’s rescue and friendship with Mzee filled people every-where with hope. It reminded us all that even though terrible, unexpected things happen, the power of courage, love, and the preciousness of life will prevail.
The caretakers plan to keep Owen and Mzee together as long as they both wish to be together. When Owen seemed ready for the company of other hippos, he was moved to a larger pond where the park’s other hippos live, including a lonely female, named Cleo. Mzee was moved along with him, and they are still close companions.
