Hippos usually love water but not this one named Charlie because he thinks he’s a rhino instead!
Charlie was abandoned when he was a couple of days old so he went to live with a baby rhino at a rhino orphanage so that neither one of them would be alone. Since they are both social animals, this was the perfect solution for them both, but it didn’t come without some repercussions.
Despite the fact he was a hippo, Charlie didn’t like water and wouldn’t go in deep water. He avoided the pond but would occasionally go in the kiddy pool, so his caretakers had to wet him down with the hose every day.
Charlie was a happy hippo living with all the rhinos. But his true rhino friend was the baby that had been abandoned at about the same age. Both animals were super playful and loved to cuddle and sleep together.
Charlie spent his days with the rest of the rhinos and learned to do rhino things. It seemed that Charlie even thought he was one of them. He mimicked the behaviors of the rhinos and was active during the day when they were.
But this was a problem for Charlie, who was supposed to be spending a lot of time in the water. Spending so much time in the sun, Charlie would get sunburned. But that didn’t stop Charlie from wanting to stay with his rhino friends rather than in the pond.
So, his keepers began to worry that Charlie would never be released into the wild if he thought he was a rhino. They located another hippo that needed a hippo friend, but that hippo also had a sheep friend.
Soon the two hippos and the sheep became friends and eventually, Charlie learned to love the water. He still got to spend time with his rhino friends but spent more and more time with the other hippo, which is good for both animal groups.
Thankfully, the plan worked, and Charlie learned to be a hippo and will eventually be released into the wild when he’s ready. In the meantime, he is just an adorable hippo baby learning to do all the hippo things that he never learned to do.
We hope you enjoyed his adorable story and that one day soon, Charlie can be released. As always, please feel free to share with your friends.
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