Zoe and Andrew: Jessica the Hippo noms some corn.

This is a video from one of my trips back home, to South Africa. This trip was particularly exciting, because while we were staying at a friend's game farm we fortuitously discovered that Jess the Hippo and her human dad, Tony Joubert, live just down the road!! If you're in that part of the world for any amount of time, I definitely suggest going to meet Jess and Tony; it is the experience of a lifetime.

If you don't know the story, you can read more about Jessica (and see videos of actual quality) here: http://animal.discovery.com/tv/jessica-hippo/jessica-hippo.html.

And just a side note: the Hippo is the most dangerous wild mammal in all of Africa, and it is considered EXTREMELY dangerous to get within any kind proximity to a Hippo EVER. Jessica does have a very special story, and while she is possibly the only "tame" hippo you can visit like this, it is important to remember that a wild animal is always a wild animal and can never truly be tamed. Tony is a game ranger with a lifetime of experience AND experience raising all the Big 5, and his work with Jessica IS STILL nearly unique, so DO NOT get any ideas of your own, any Hippo you try to treat like Jess will mostly likely nom you right in half!! (I mean, have you checked out those teeth?)

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• jessica
• hippo
• tony
• south
• africa
• tame
• animal
• planet
• corn
• eating
• noms
• zoe
• andrew
• feed
• ears
• twiddle

[carlamohor]

Fantastic, tell me...........this is the same Jessica that lives with a family and shares home with a dog? if not, it´s the same for me, ´cause I love her anyway

[muchlovezoe]

Yea it is the same Jessica. She, the family, and the dogs were all fantastic.

[cozaajik]

euch. please don't say "noms". It's the most APALLING expression!

Jessica the hippo is fabulous and I've watched every other available cm of footage of her. Now she has a baby brother Richy who was washed away from his mom in the recent Limpopo floods and has been adopted by the Jouberts. Jessica is 12 now.

[dempseydoodle1]

he is so adorable! !!

[carlamohor]

Thanks a lot............don´t know how I envy them for having her. I love that animals mix and having them as part of the family