RAMALLAH, April 13 (JMCC) - The
Qalqilya zoo acquired a new hippopotamus Tuesday, doubling the hippo population at the only zoo in the occupied West Bank.
The 1.5 ton animal was purchased from Israel so that the zoo's male hippo, Dubi, would not have to live alone,
reports the
Jerusalem Post.
“Think of it as ‘Animals without Borders,’” zoo’s director Saed Khater said, describing how he works closely with zoologists and other experts from the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo and the Ramat Gan Safari Park.
Kalkilya’s newest resident is the second hippopotamus to arrive at the Kalkilya Zoo from the Safari Park, which is less than a 30-minute drive away. Each animal – both of them males – cost the city-run zoo around $2,500.
Israeli veterinarian Mori Hertzenshten, who accompanied the beast from his former home, told reporters that hippopotami are extremely sociable creatures and do not like to live alone.
The northern West Bank town of Qalqilya is surrounded by the
Wall Israel has constructed in the West Bank, and its zoo is the city's primary moneymaker.