I am so relieved. Life is good.
This baby hippo, named Farasi, who is a Swiss baby hippo, was looking like he was going to go the way of many European zoo-born animals--
He was going to be killed off because of over crowding at the zoo. And specifically because after age one to four, he'd be rejected by his father....
And there were no other zoos rushing forward to adopt the wee (?) one.
Thus, the death sentence. And to add
fuel to the flames, his carcass would be fed to other animals, so as not to go to waste.
Before one can say, well what do you expect from those practical Swiss, let me hasten to explain this is acceptable practice for European zoos, in general. European zoos believe in letting their animals fornicate to their hearts content, and any resulting progeny, if they are surplus, sad though it may be, are done in.
American zoos, it turns out, believe in birth control and keeping opposite sexes from co-habitation, to avoid the problem of over- crowding. A-plus for American zoos!
European zoos DO try to find homes for their...excess...but this doesn't always work out. Currently, according to the WSJ, or maybe it was the New York Times, there are eighteen thousand surplus youngsters looking for homes in zoos.
I was not alone in my concern for the little guy. All of Switzerland was in a uproar. Farasi had become a favorite of the general public. In fact he was a little (?) super star.
So this morning I rushed to the Internet for news. And it was GOOD. Farasi will live.
He will stay with his mother for a year or more, nursing, the little cutie. Then he will be adopted out--
Like his SIX previous siblings from this very same mother....
Who knew Europeans zoos were in such dire need of being taught the benefits of birth control.
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