View source for Owen and Mzee

{{short description|Hippopotamus and an Aldabra giant tortoise}}
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2023}}
[[File:Owen and Mzee.jpg|thumb|300px|Owen (left) and Mzee (right)]]
'''Owen''' and '''Mzee''' are a [[hippopotamus]] and an [[Aldabra giant tortoise]] duo, respectively, that attracted media attention after forming an unusual bond of friendship. They live in [[Haller Park (Kenya)|Haller Park]], [[Bamburi]], Kenya.<ref>{{Citation |title=Odd couple make friends in Kenya |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4152447.stm |publisher=BBC |date=2005-01-01 |access-date=2008-06-10}}</ref>

Owen was separated from his herd as a juvenile after Sumatra's [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami|December 2004 tsunami]] and was brought to the Haller Park rescue centre. Having no other hippos to interact with, Owen immediately attempted to bond with Mzee ([[Swahili language|Swahili]] for an wise old man),<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://en.bab.la/dictionary/english-swahili/elder |title = Elder - Swahili translation - bab.la English-Swahili dictionary}}</ref> whose large domed shell and brown colour resembled an adult hippo. Mzee was initially reluctant about Owen but grew to like him and got used to Owen around him.

Once it was determined that Owen had grown too large to safely interact with Mzee, a separate enclosure was built for Owen and a new ([[female]]) hippo named Cleo, with whom he bonded quickly. With Owen now twice Mzee's size and well on his way to being socialized with other hippos, the famous friends went their separate ways and Mzee was returned to his original enclosure.

The pair were featured in ''Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship'', a 2006 book by Isabella and [[Craig Hatkoff]], as well as the 2007 sequel ''Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship''.  [[Jeanette Winter]] also created a picture book about Owen titled "Mama: A True Story".

Presented by Vital Theatre and directed by [[Stanley Wayne Mathis]], this story was adapted into an [[Off-Broadway]] musical, ''Owen and Mzee The Musical,'' by Michelle Elliott (book and lyrics) and Danny Larsen (music and lyrics).

The show premiered in 2018 at the Theater at Blessed Sacrament in [[Manhattan]] and featured Eric Willingham as Owen and TJ Bolden as Mzee. It was also written as a screenplay by [[Roger S. H. Schulman]], one of the writers of ''[[Shrek (film)|Shrek]]'', but has yet to be produced.

==See also==
* [[List of individual hippopotamids]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://owenandmzee.com Owen and Mzee's Official Web Site]
*[http://lafargeecosystems.com Lafarge Eco Systems]
**[http://www.lafargeecosystems.com/blog.php Owen and Mzee's Web Log]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050404044513/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/kids/2005/03/owen.html Baby Hippo Orphan Finds a Friend]. 4 March 2006.
*There is a 30-minute free documentary available here [http://www.owenandmzee.com/omweb/flash/mediacenter/flvs/OMdocumentary_medium_v8_320x240.flv].
*[https://www.owenandmzeethemusical.com Owen and Mzee The Musical Official Web Site]

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[[Category:Environment of Kenya]]
[[Category:2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami]]
[[Category:Individual animals in Kenya]]
[[Category:Animal duos]]
[[Category:Individual tortoises]]
[[Category:Individual hippopotamuses]]

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