My favorite animals are: Snow Leopard, Hippopotamus, Clouded Leopard, Sloths, and Pandas.
This list does not include my favorite birds (Shoebill Stork and Vultures) and is subject to change.
Why I like hippos I really can't tell you. The fact that they really don't swim, simply sink and run. That they are extremely protective of their family and space. Most people don't like them. They are mean but most people who work with hippos will tell you differently. All of these animals are rather reclusive but live in small family groups. It makes sense with me.
So in my 30 to 30 goal I had to include a hippo experience. Multiple places offer some form of feeding a hippo and I was lucky Denver zoo was one. They offer it in the fall and I wasn't going to miss it like I did last year. So I signed up for the first experience of the year. On August 2nd, 2018 I made my hippo dream come true.
I cried when Bert died but getting to feed get up close to his son Mahali was awesome. Mahali is 15 years old and weighs around 4,000 lbs. He is the youngest of Bert's 30 children and the only hippo at the Denver Zoo. His trainer Mike has been working at the zoo over 20 years and had an extensive knowledge. It was nice to have him speak with us then guide us though the experience. He uses a whistle to train Mahali to open his mouth and the experience participants are helping in his training. We get to feed him apple slices in this short experience as well as hear about the zoo, animals and conservation.
