Meet Bumpy: a gentle young hippo whose story begins in a tragic place.
Last month, on May 1, rescuers with the Kenya Wildlife Service Vet and Capture team learned about an orphaned hippo struggling to survive at Oloiden Resort in Naivasha, Kenya. When rescuers arrived, they found “pint-sized” Bumpy snuggled against his deceased mom.
“He clearly didn't understand the situation,” Sheldrick Wildlife Trust wrote in a post about Bumpy. “He was calling out to his mother and nudging her with his blunt little nose, desperately hoping for a response.”
Rescuers aren’t sure how Bumpy’s mother passed away, but they suspect she died of natural causes. Whatever the case, her little calf was now all alone, unable to take care of himself.
Kenya Wildlife Service
team members safely secured Bumpy and took him to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust nursery in Nairobi for further care.
At the nursery, Bumpy enjoyed a bottle of milk and relaxed in a blanket. Bumpy’s keeper, Simon, could tell the little hippo missed the comfort of his mother, so he did everything possible to make him feel cozy. He slid a mattress into Bumpy’s enclosure and waited for Bumpy to do the rest.
“After his terrible ordeal, [Bumpy] finally felt at peace and slept soundly in the crook of Simon's arm,” Sheldrick Wildlife Trust wrote. “He was clearly desperate for comfort and connection and remained glued to his keepers from that moment onwards.”
The next morning, Bumpy was transported by helicopter to the trust’s Kaluku nursery, where he could continue his recovery.
Today, Bumpy remains at Kaluku, where he enjoys paddling in his pool, sleeping in the shade on his mattress and looking out over the beautiful Athi River.
For now, Bumpy still relies on his human rescuers for comfort, but team members are hopeful that he will soon find a new family among other hippos in the area.
“The Athi River is home to several resident [hippo] pods, and when he is old enough, we hope that Bumpy will join their ranks,” Sheldrick Wildlife Trust wrote.
Safe with those who have his best interests at heart, Bumpy doesn’t have to worry about feeling alone ever again.
