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.