the sad tale of Ahe, the hippo at Taiwan (on road)

In Oct 14, 8 year old Pragathi was in news – she rarely left the water and most visitors missed out on the sight of her coming out for her meal.  She is the eight-year-old female hippopotamus in Vandalur zoo who delivered a healthy calf.  The delivery took place in the water, soon after which the calf started swimming.  Vamboori, the male hippo, which came through an animal exchange programme from Basel zoo in Switzerland, is the father of the calf.

Hippopotamuses love water, which is why the Greeks named them the "river horse." Hippos spend up to 16 hours a day submerged in rivers and lakes to keep their massive bodies cool under the hot African sun. Hippos are graceful in water, good swimmers, and can hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes.  These big animals are not exactly attractive and liked by many !   Some are minomers ~ the not so good looking  hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" is a large herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa.  After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal.   The hippopotamus is recognizable by its barrel-shaped torso, enormous mouth and teeth, nearly hairless body, stubby legs and tremendous size. One aspect that we may not know is that hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive creatures in the world and is often regarded as one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. They are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory canine teeth.

Few zoos in India have hippo and you could have seen them over there. Ever imagined seeing them on a road ? – sadly, not the right way as male hippo Ahe is in news of being on the road, having jumped out of a truck transporting him to a new zoo. 

Newsreports state that the hippo cried in pain after falling from back of truck ferrying it to a Taiwan zoo, only to die later when bungling staff dropped it  again after they rescued it.  Upon jumping out the hippo was pictured with a broken tooth and tears streaming down his face. The Zoo staff then hitched the 1.8 tonne animal into a harness which failed - Ahe crashed two metres to the ground and later died of his injuries.

Mail Online reports that Ahe, a 32-year-old male hippopotamus, was hurt with a damaged leg and teeth but still alive after falling from the moving lorry which was ferrying him to a zoo in Taiwan. That was not to last long as zoo staff hitched the 1.8 tonne animal into a harness that could not carry his weight - and he was dropped him for a second time. Medics said that the hippo died from injuries sustained as a result of being dropped the second time while being moved to a temporary shelter in the botched rescue attempt in Taichung city, a special municipality located in western Taiwan.

Television footage showed the enormous animal lying on the road -- where it remained for several hours -- with white fluid oozing from its eyes. Then, when the hippo was being taken back to the farm for treatment of its injuries, the cable on a hoist broke and its container crashed to the ground from a height of two metres (6.5 feet). An autopsy showed that the internal damage caused a massive supply of toxins to be released into his blood resulting in death. Local police who had calls from locals about the animal said several people have reported a dinosaur on the road causing some confusion and suspicion that it was a hoax.  The  deputy head of the Department of Animal Industry in Taiwan's Council of Agriculture is quoted as saying that the hippo's owner could face fines for animal abuse and be charged anywhere between £2,025 and £10,127 for losing the hippo in the first place and failing to secure him properly in the vehicle.

It is stated that Ahe was a star attraction at its ranch and even appeared in a popular television soap opera several years ago.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

1^st Jan 2015.