A one-year-old hippo calf christened Owen was found alone and dehydrated by wildlife rangers near the Indian Ocean at Malindi, Kenya, in the days after the Asian Tsunami. He was placed in an enclosure at a wildlife sanctuary in Mombasa where he befriended a male tortoise. The tortoise is named Mzee, which is Swahili for 'old man'. Mzee 'adopted' Owen and they are still rarely seen apart. Their unusual bonding has surprised and delighted zoologists in Kenya and become worldwide news.

 

This book is part of a book series called Owen And Mzee .

There are 40 pages in this book. This book was published 2006 by Scholastic .

Craig Hatkoff is the co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival and of Turtle Pond Publications. Both Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship and Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship are New York Times bestsellers. He lives with his wife and their two daughters in Manhattan.