Hippo warms up to friend
New companion helps loneliness after mom’s death
The Memphis Zoo’s 25-year-old hippopotamus Splish was lonely after the death earlier this year of her mother, 51-year- old Julie.
“She went through about three weeks of not eating. She was very lethargic and moping; everything about her was off,” said Dina Mandino, a zookeeper who has worked with the hippos for about seven years.
On Wednesday, Splish got a new companion named Binti, a 15-yearold female hippopotamus from Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Bay Lake, Fla.
“Julie passed away in March, so we thought Splish needed a friend,” Mandino said.
As expected, Binti, whose name means “daughter” or “young lady” in Swahili, is still adjusting to the new envi-
ronment. She and Splish have had a few spats since being introduced, but the zookeeper says they are starting to bond.
“She is still a little fearful, but she listens to me,” Mandino said of Binti.
“They greeted each other this morning by almost touching noses.”
Binti is the newest member of a long line of hippos at the zoo, which has housed the large mammals since 1914, the year Splish’s grandfather Adonis arrived from Hamburg, Germany.
“It is unusual that you would have the same family in the zoo for so long,” said Laura Doty, commu- nications specialist at the zoo.
Splish’s mother, Julie, lived to be the oldest animal at the zoo at the time. She had 10 babies, includ- ing the rare hippo twins Splish and Splash in 1988. Julie was euthanized on March 16 of this year.
Both Binti and Splish will be on display daily in the outdoor pools that are part of the original exhibit built in 1916.
In 2015, they are expected to move to a new zoo exhibit called Zambezi River Hippo Camp, which will include an underwater viewing area and natural ground flooring instead of concrete.
Currently, the hippo pools are drained and refilled every day. The new exhibit’s filter system will help the zoo conserve water. Mandino believes the natural ground will help lessen the extent to which the older hippos suffer from arthritis.
The zoo also plans to add a bull, a male hippo, when the new exhibit opens, with the hopes of continuing Adonis’ bloodline.