Live
Audio Only
A homeless hippopotamus roaming the municipality of Las Choapas in Mexico is being rounded up and sent to an ecological reserve in Orizaba after the city voiced concerns about the gigantic meandering mammal.
RELATED:
Romeo, World's Loneliest Frog, Still Seeks Juliet in Bolivia
Weighing in at roughly 600 kilos, the three-year-old African native named Tyzon was first spotted by local media wandering through a garbage dump in January. Since then, the hippo has settled into a nearby lagoon and has now become something of a city mascot.
Tyzon's recent origins are unknown, but witnesses reported spotting him in lagoons across the state of Veracruz before he set up camp in his swampy Las Choapas suite.
Most residents say Tyzon is timid and runs into the water when vehicles approach, but his sheer size and potentially aggressive nature prompted environmental protection officers to secure the hippo a new home.
The people of Las Choapas are even looking for love on the hippo's behalf: a Facebook page was created to find Tyzon a romantic partner after farmer Nayeli Gutierrez Garcia witnessed him propositioning a calf. So far, it has raised US$500 for the unusual matchmaking mission.
Newsletter
