Owen, the hippo, with his love, Mzee, the tortoise Last week we ran a story about the death of Montgomery the Hippo at Riverbanks Zoo. I included a story about HIPPO (Hippopotamus Interest, Protection, and Preservation Organization) and how it promoted hippos as the symbol of peace to replace the vicious, cannibalistic dove. Needless to say, we got many responses.

Warren and Faith Brune sent in the following story and photo which will certainly help our cause.

A baby hippopotamus survived a tsunami on the Kenyan coast in January 2004. It was rescued by conservation officers and soon formed a strong bond with a giant male century- old tortoise in an wildlife park in Mombasa.

Rangers say the hippo (Owen) follows the tortoise (Mzee) exactly the way it would have followed its mother. They soon began to eat and sleep together. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother.

Two years later, Owen and Mzee were still together. In March 2006, the Hollywood Reporter announced that Walden Media was planning to produce "Tortoise and Hippo," a film inspired by the photograph of Owen and Mzee.

Alex Schwartz, executive VP production at Walden Media, said, "We're going to create a movie inspired by it that we hope can tell a story everyone can relate to, which is that you can be different but still belong to the same family."

Hippos for Peace!!!