Prague Zoo Finds Hippo Alive but Angry After Flood
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PRAGUE, Czech Republic — Zookeepers in the Czech capital lured a hippopotamus out of its hiding place in the elephants’ pavilion Saturday, thrilled to find the animal had survived last week’s devastating floods.
The 18-year-old hippo, named Slavek, was spotted only Friday, days after the animal disappeared in the chaos of raging waters at the Zoological Garden.
“For us, it was a great surprise to find him,” said zoo director Petr Fejk. “He was very angry.” But he did not stop eating, Fejk said.
Slavek was one of two hippos missing and feared dead in the flooding, which killed scores of animals, including 80 birds, an elephant, a gorilla, a lion and a bear.
On Saturday, the zoo was covered in mud, some of it ankle-deep, where the flood waters had receded.
“What’s ahead of us is cleanup, disinfection and cleanup again,” Fejk said.
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