Born free:
A two-tonne hippopotamus called Nikica, which escaped from a flooded private zoo in Montenegro, was roaming free today.
Officials disagreed over whether to kill the 11-year-old hippo, considered one of the world’s most dangerous species.
Nikica escaped when heavy rains raised the floodwater level in her pen, allowing her to swim out.
A spokesman for Montenegro’s natural disasters commission, which responds to floods, said the law required they destroy animals that can endanger human lives. But state veterinary authorities said they were not entitled to kill animals.
How can anyone in their right mind think of killing a hippo, one of the noblest beasts on earth?
If reincarnation was a fact of life, I’d want to return either as a lion (shumba) or hippopotamus (mvuu)—Shona has much better names for animals than English, for example: “rat” is “gonzo.” The desire to become a lion needs no explanation. As for a hippo? It has the bigness we admire in elephants but without the heavy morality of tusks, trunks, and wrinkled skin. Elephants are so moral. A hippo has the weight of Hegelian philosophy while on the land, and lightness of Chaplinesque comedy while in the water.
The image is by The PDX Guy.
Yes, right on…….. and that skin color. I’ll take it for my own hue. Naturally I might be jeered at like fellow victims of society: the fags, the obese, the televangelists etc. However, I will make a big splash (hippo humour) in the blogworld!! My tale of struggle, the actual beauty if you look close enough, the delicate buds of my oh so tasty marijuana. Blog world I implore you! Rip that hippo’s skin off!! I want a dense organic purple sheen to my holy icon: the Dildo!
I am privileged to share my desk with a glaring hungwe [fish eagle] sculpture of hard green stone and a small chipembere [rhinoceros]. Would love to add a zizi [owl].
hippos have to be capturable.
Hippos are lethargic and very large. They can’t be that hard to hit with a tranquilizer dart.
Problem solved.
Hippos are awesome but deadly. A hippo will straight-up murder you. Seriously. By all means sedate and capture, but don’t be fooled by his jolly appearance!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?lis…
Elephants swim quite well, also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywXYfLFap…
Of course Hippos have one negative aspect: they swin in their own shit all day. So stick with the lion for your next life my African comrade. Remember, the male lion gets to sit on his ass all day and have his women fetch the grub; and wearing that mane is quite dashing!
Chuck, I think you are already gonzo.
Anyone who thinks a hippo ought to be easy to capture – um, you first. They’re extraordinarily dangerous, much faster than you’d think, very heavily armed (tusks and hooves), and very, very aggressive. You first.
They just need to lay a trail of white marbles back to it’s pen.
You, sir, are a genius.