A Pair Of 3,000 Pound Hippos Make The Trip Home To Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - Two sisters have finally returned home to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. Ambezi and Kasai, a pair of Nile hippos, returned Friday after spending three and a half years "vacationing" at Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, Missouri.
The pair had to move while Cheyenne Mountain Zoo rebuilt their habitat called "Water's Edge: Africa." It will be home to the hippos, penguins, warthogs and lemurs.
"The question of the year has definitely been, 'When are the hippos coming back?' We're just so happy the girls are finally home," Patty Wallace, senior lead keeper at Water's Edge: Africa said in a news release.
"There were a lot of happy human tears and a lot of wiggling hippo ears on Friday morning, as we watched them explore their new home. It's so fulfilling to see them enjoying this beautiful space and settling back in. We missed them!"
And getting them home was quite the road trip. Each hippo weighs more than 3,000 pounds so it took special equipment and skilled staff to make sure they were safe on the 750 mile trip.
It started by putting steel-framed wooden crates as hallways for them in Springfield. That helped Zambezi and Kasai get comfortable inside the crates.
When it was time to go, each hippo entered her own crate and then a crane lifted them out of the exhibit, then crews used a forklift to get them into the semi truck. They headed out Thursday evening and arrived early Friday morning after a 12 hour drive that included stops to check on the animals.
There, the hippos were lifted one at a time and carried to their new homes.
"The transport really couldn't have gone any better," Jeremy Dillon, Water's Edge: Africa Animal Care Manager.
"Watching them come out of their crates, healthy and curious to explore their new home was awesome. I just wish we could share this experience with the public right away."
The zoo is closed right now because of the pandemic but the keepers are anxious to show off the new space which is designed around nature play.
"I can't wait for people to come and see Water's Edge," said Grace Vining, animal keeper. "It's like an educational nature playground for animal lovers."
