Tonga the hippo is living wild and free
Jani Meyer
October 07 2007 at 01:35PM

A little more than a month after Tonga the hippo arrived in South Africa after being saved from a French circus, the 11-year-old is at home in his new surroundings.

Tonga lounges about at the SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary in Letsitele, Limpopo, as though he has been living in Africa all his life.

The two-ton hippo had to travel halfway round the world to escape the misery of being a side show in a circus where he and other animals were severely neglected.

Tonga, together with five lions, a tiger and five snakes, were saved from Zavata Circus after the French Animal Aid Foundation won a court battle to have them removed.

Click here!

It took several months, lots of red tape and a bumpy ride before Tonga finally settled in SA.

In January this year, the Court of Annecy ordered the confiscation of the animals because they were severely neglected.

The circus also failed to provide proper veterinary care to the animals, which had led to dental problems.

The Foundation Assistance aux Animaux in Paris sent a request to SanWild Wildlife, a rehabilitation and emergency rescue centre, to assist.

Tonga was temporarily placed in an electrified enclosure, but has since been released and was enjoying his freedom.

Louise Joubert, a spokesperson for SanWild, said Tonga was doing extremely well.

"He has been released and is now living wild and free. He is taking a lot of time exploring his new environment," she said.

Joubert said he was free to roam the 6 000ha and meet other wild animals.

"He has already been in contact with herds of elephant and rhino."

o This article was originally published on page 14 of Tribune on October 07, 2007