Thailand's oldest hippo celebrates birthday with fruit and song

[snoop1130]

Thailand's oldest hippo celebrates birthday with fruit and song

By Prapan Chankaew

 

Thailand's oldest hippopotamus "Mae Mali" eats fruit during her 55th birthday party at Khao Kheow zoo in Chon Buri, Thailand September 8, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

CHONBURI, Thailand (Reuters) - As children and other spectators sang to mark her 55th birthday, Thailand's oldest hippopotamus Mae Mali chomped on an assortment of fruit and vegetables arranged in the shape of a cake.

 

Mae Mali, which means "Mother Jasmine" in Thai, who moved to a compound at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in eastern Thailand two years ago from a zoo in Bangkok, and has already outlived a hippo's typical life expectancy of around 40 to 50 years old.

 

"Mae Mali is now a grandma. We have been taking great care of her regarding her health, food, and environment," said zoo director Attaporn Srihayrun.

 

Mae Mali gave birth to numerous calves, and her descendants now number 21 hippos residing in zoos across the Southeast Asian country.

 

"Mae Mali cannot reproduce anymore because she's quite elderly. But we will still take great care of her so that she can become one of the longest living hippopotamus in the world," said Attaporn.

 

In the wild, the hippopotamus lives in rivers and lakes in sub-Saharan Africa and habitat loss means it's now considered vulnerable.

 

In the neighbouring Philippines, Bertha, considered to be the oldest hippopotamus in captivity at the time, died in 2017, aged 65.

 

Another hippopotamus, Lucifer, or "Lu", is reported to have celebrated his 60th birthday at a wildlife park in the U.S. state of Florida in January this year.

 

With adults weighing from 1,500 kilograms (3,304 lbs) up to 3,200 kilograms, the hippo is the second-heaviest land animal after the elephant, spending the heat of the day in the water and coming ashore at night to feed on grasses and fruit.

 

The World Wildlife Fund estimates there are around 115,000 to 130,000 left in the wild.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-09-08

 

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[Tropicalevo]

Happy Birthday Mai Mali

[Justgrazing]

4 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand's oldest hippo celebrates birthday with fruit and song

Strawberry Fields forever , Blueberry Hill .? gis a clue .. 

What did grape say when Hippo trod on it .?

Nothing , it just let out a little wine .. 

 

[Meat Pie 47]

And I thought it was about the one in the picture who needs help standing up.

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

And I thought it was about the one in the picture who needs help standing up.

Hippo's not dinosaurs.

[Burma Bill]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

celebrates birthday with fruit and song

Song (UK):-   Mud, mud, glorious mud..............

 

[simon43]

On 9/8/2020 at 11:46 PM, Meat Pie 47 said:

And I thought it was about the one in the picture who needs help standing up.

And I thought it was about the fat bar girls ????

[phetchy]

On 9/8/2020 at 11:46 PM, Meat Pie 47 said:

And I thought it was about the one in the picture who needs help standing up.

It's the weight of the timepiece on his wrist that is causing him to overbalance.  The guy holding him up is having a good gander - "Haven't seen that one before".