Hippo dies in duel with son

Hippo dies in duel with son

Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta suffered a serious loss on Wednesday
when one of its two hippopotami died in a fight with the other
animal.

Two days after the death, zoo veterinarian Wardani confirmed
on Friday that the hippo named Omon died in a "common territorial
fight with his son, Jacky".

"It is very common for hippopotami to have territorial fights,
because they want to ensure their territories are not trespassed
upon," said Wardani.

She said that in Omon's case, the battle was fatal "because he
was already too old ... he had even lost his tusks".

Omon, who weighed two tons, was transferred from the zoo in
Surabaya, East Java, to Ragunan and had become one of the zoo's
oldest occupants, at 35 years of age.

Jacky, weighing approximately the same as his father, is nine
years old.

It is unclear whether the zoo will bring in a new companion
for Jacky.