Premiere Ambassador Steve Irwin Corner

Century Old Tortoise Becomes Parent For Baby "Water Horse" Hippo Owen

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away."

Niarobi KENYA (AFP) Baby hippopotamus that survived December 26, 2005 tsunami waves on Kenya's coast formed unbreakable bond with 100 year-old giant male tortoise in Mombassa Animal Reserve. Owen the 6 month-old hippo (weighing 650 pounds) was swept into the Indian Ocean from the Sabaki River and then forced inshore. Wildlife rangers rescued him after he lost his mother and became severely traumatized. The tortoise that he landed on became his surrogate mother. "They swim, eat, and sleep together,"said ecologist Paula Kahumba (manager of Lafarge Park). "It's incredible...the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a mother," she told AFP.

"The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If someone approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes agressive, as if protecting its biological mother," she continued.

"Much of Life can never be explained but only witnessed." (Rachel Naomi Remen, MD)

Hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," Kahumba explained. This is a real story that shows tht our differences don't matter much when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God; "Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together."

SAVE THE EARTH...It's the only planet with chocolate!!!

SPECIAL THANKS TO Heather who believed all FANS OF BARBARO needed breaktime from serious campaigning efforts. THANK YOU!!!