Two orphaned youngster animals have formed their own little family to help each other.
Baby hippopotamus Humpty and little antelope Sala spend much of the day together at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust field headquarters in Kahuku, Kenya.
In December, Humpty was discovered stuck in a drying pond, has become bogged down. The group observed her for a few days to confirm she was an orphan before saving her to prevent her from dying.
Every morning, the newborn hippoguzzles receive five bottles of milk formula at headquarters, which is not primarily severed as an animal orphanage.
She spends her days resting in a specially built pool, where she practices holding her breath underwater for up to 45 seconds.
She had been ab.an.doned in a field at the entrance of Tsavo National Park when she was just seven days old.
She hides in the vegetation nearby when she isn’t playing with Humpty in her pool.
Staff at the headquarters have been moved to tears by their unlikely friendship, but they will be reintegrated into the wild when they are older.
Rob Brandford, Executive Director of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in the UK said: “The staff here have expertise in hand-rearing orphaned animals and the location allows for an easier reintegration process with wild populations of both species living nearby.
“But she can also be sulky if she doesn’t get her way.
“She spends the majority of her day in a specially built pool, emerging for a run on her specially constructed sand ‘beach’ after early morning and late evening.”
“Sala spends most of her day with Humpty or strolling about the vicinity around Humpty’s pool, which has plenty of vegetation to hide in.”
