Veterinarians yesterday met in Greater Taichung’s Dajia District (大甲) to provide their expertise on treatment and care for a hippopotamus kept by Sky Zoo (天馬牧場) after the animal was injured on Friday when it fell from a moving truck while being transported from Miaoli County to the private zoo, and was then dropped from a height of 2m by rescuers who removed him from the scene.
Sky Zoo spokesperson Tu Yi-lung (杜一龍) said the hippo, named “A-ho,” is an adult male weighing about 2 tonnes that the facility has had for almost seven years.
He said that, “perhaps due to a sense of unease,” A-ho banged its body against the freight container’s walls while being transferred on Friday afternoon from a pool in the county’s Yuanli Township (苑裡) back to the zoo.
Photo: CNA
It eventually fell from the moving vehicle, hitting another vehicle, along Miaoli County Road 121, near Shangan Community (山柑).
The animal lay on the ground oozing a substance from its eyes and appeared to be in considerable pain.
Blood could be seen on the rear of the white sedan it hit.
Photo: Chang Hsuan-che, Taipei Times
The sight drew gasps from dozens of people, many of whom expressed concern and sympathy for the injured animal.
Miaoli County Animal Health Inspection and Quarantine Institute veterinarian Pan Yi-cheng (潘翊誠), who tended to A-ho on the scene, said the hippo broke some teeth and suffered lacerations to many parts of its body.
Pan said that the animal was limping due to an injury to its left rear leg. An initial examination found that the hippo had not suffered an open bone fracture, but it remains unclear whether it sustained any minor bone injuries, as there is no X-ray machine able to see under a hippo’s skin, which is about 5cm thick, thicker than that of an elephant.
A-ho had a second fall yesterday, falling 2m while inside a freight container after a cable snapped while the hippo was being taken to a pond in Dajia for rehabilitation on the advice of National Chung Hsing University veterinarian Kao Ju-po (高如柏).
However, vets said the hippo was swimming and appeared revitalized after entering the pond.
Animal protection groups were outraged by what they said was negligence by Sky Zoo while transferring A-ho, questioning its ability to take care of wild animals.
Environmental and Animal Society of Taiwan director Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏) said the zoo’s handling of the hippo showed that it is not qualified to take care of wild animals and that the authorities should confiscate the hippo so it can be managed properly.
She said there was a lack of animal care and medical expertise at zoos and recreational facilities offering animal performances, and that the facilities have no qualms about importing wild animals for commercial use, but come up short every time one of them becomes ill.
“Every time an animal dies, they use ‘old age’ as an excuse to cover up their poor management,” Chen said.
Animal Husbandry Department Deputy Director Chu Ching-cheng (朱慶誠) said that hippos are on the nation’s list of protected species.
Hippos are listed as a vulnerable species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
Citing Article 5 of the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), Chu said that Sky Zoo would face a fine of NT$200,000 to NT$1 million (US$6,299 to US$31,497) if it is found to be keeping the hippo in a substandard environment or mistreated it leading to injury or death.
“Judging from the current situation, the hippopotamus has been placed in a safe environment,” Chu said. “However, further verification is required to determine whether its limp ties the ranch to legal liabilities.”
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