Owen and Mzee are a hippopotamus

Hippopotamus

The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...

 and an Aldabra giant tortoise

Aldabra Giant Tortoise

The Aldabra giant tortoise , from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world....

, respectively, that became the subject of media attention after forming an unusual bond of friendship. They live in Haller Park

Haller Park

Haller Park is nature park in Bamburi, Mombasa, on the Kenyan Coast. It is the transformation of a quarry wasteland into an ecological paradise. Haller Park holds a variety of plant and animal species which serve as a recreation hot spot to tourists and locals...

, Malindi, Kenya.

As of March 2007, Mzee has been removed from the enclosure. A female hippopotamus named Cleo has been added to provide companionship for Owen. Owen seems to be adapting to his new companion and it is possible that Owen and Cleo will have offspring when he reaches maturity.

External links

• Owen and Mzee's Official Web Site
• Lafarge Eco Systems
  • Owen and Mzee's Web Log
• Baby Hippo Orphan Finds a Friend. March 4, 2005.
• There is a 30 minute free documentary available here.