Farasi, Swiss of the Year 2008

Farasi with his mom - Image from CBC

Here is the first post after a long time. Ever heard of a hippopotamus being nominated as a person of the year? I guess not. Well, it has happened with Farasi, a hugely popular hippo in Switzerland. He is Basel Zoo’s biggest attraction and was named “Swiss of the Year” in 2008, outdoing Roger Federer even! But Farasi, born on November 6th, is now an excess in the zoo and is in danger of losing his life. If the zoo cannot find a home for Farasi he will become food for the lions. Swiss newspapers have pounced on the cruel intention and have splashed headlines appealing for Farasi’s life.

The problem lies in zoo policies in Europe. While American zoos believe in birth control for their animal populations, European zoos believe that they should be free to do what is natural to them. But the downside is that zoos typically end up killing animals if there is no place for them anywhere. Sad but true.

Probably the press agitation helped. Farasi, whose name means “horse” in Swahili, will continue to live with his mother for another year as he is dependent on her milk. The zoo officials will then look for a home for him, probably another zoo, and I pray that he gets one.