The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) lives in the African savannahs south of the Sahara and is one of the largest mammals in existence today. Its skin is free of sweat glands, so that the animal spends most of the day in slow-flowing rivers to limit evaporation and protect itself from the sun. The eyes, nostrils and ears are on the top of its head to allow it to breathe and keep watch, while remaining immersed. At night, it ventures out of the water and travels several kilometres to pasture. Despite its ‘good-natured’ appearance, the hippopotamus is very aggressive and dangerous to humans.
Our specimen was abandoned by a passing circus in 1969 and taken into an estate in the Municipality of Bussolengo, near Verona. Since it attracted local families on their Sunday outings, little by little the hippopotamus was joined by other animals, giving life to the Parco Natura Viva safari park. Pippo, as the animal was named, died in 2009 and its body was donated to the University of Padua.
