Farasi, a male hippo born at Basel Zoo two years ago, has found a new home in South Africa.
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Baby pictures published after his birth in 2008 made him a national darling, yet he made headlines again when the zoo announced that he would likely become food for other animals.
As the zoo explained at the time, there simply was not enough space for another male hippo at the zoo. Yet the appalled public called for another solution.
The idea now is that he will become a breeding bull at a nature reservation – something that would not have been possible at the zoo.
According to zoo officials, Farasi is now getting settled in the Tschukudu nature park after last week’s 40-hour journey. Upon arrival he went for a dip in a pond.
The Tschukudu reservation spreads across 5,000 hectares and is home to a variety of animals, including lions, leopards, crocodiles, elephants and giraffes.
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Surplus baby hippo could end up as animal food
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But Basel-born Farasi could face a spectacular reversal of fortune: ending up as fodder for other zoo animals. The zoo says this is not uncommon, and it is unusual for the media to pay so much attention to the fate of one animal. “Hippo to end up as animal food,” ran the headline in one…
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European brown bear cubs Urs and Berna are currently the star attractions at the new bear park in Bern, with crowds transfixed by their every move. So when the park’s director, Bernd Schildger, announced that they would have to be moved in 18 months time and could even be euthanised – as a last resort…
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