Botswana and Tanzania 2010

And this is Charlie, the resident hippo. It's a sad story right now, but will probably have a happy ending. In nature, it's really tough being a young male. Here's what happened to Charlie.... there's a large hippo pool right in front of the Grumeti River Lodge inhabitated by a hippo herd. Charlie was born there and spent his first 2 years happy in the pool with his mom. About 6 months before we arrived, just as Charlie began to sexually mature, he was driven from the pool by the dominant males. That was bad news for Charlie because he had no where to go. He couldn't get past his herd to go upriver, and not more than 100 yards downriver, there was another hippo herd which likewise wouldn't let him pass. So, Charlie took up residence in front of unit #7 at the Grumeti Camp.

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And this is Charlie, the resident hippo. It's a sad story right now, but will probably have a happy ending. In nature, it's really tough being a young male. Here's what happened to Charlie.... there's a large hippo pool right in front of the Grumeti River Lodge inhabitated by a hippo herd. Charlie was born there and spent his first 2 years happy in the pool with his mom. About 6 months before we arrived, just as Charlie began to sexually mature, he was driven from the pool by the dominant males. That was bad news for Charlie because he had no where to go. He couldn't get past his herd to go upriver, and not more than 100 yards downriver, there was another hippo herd which likewise wouldn't let him pass. So, Charlie took up residence in front of unit #7 at the Grumeti Camp.

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