This photo shows eight of the 12 warthogs that find safety alongside seventy two baboons, thirty three vervet monkeys, 4 rescue cats, one mongoose, two bush pigs (called Bonny and Clyde) and any other animal who walks into the Trust’s headquarters. The families of warthogs are Winny, her elder son Wombat, then Pinky and Perky her daughter and son, this years babies Bill, Ben, Becky and Betty, another female Sally and her first two babies Ketchup and...
Steve is seen here meeting warthogs for the very first time. There are at present 12 warthogs taking refuge at the Turgwe Hippo Trust. They come along every day for food which is encouraged, for there are a specific group of poachers in the area who target warthogs. To keep them safe initially Karen fed just three, but they have bred and now 12 come along every day. They have burrows in the nearby vicinity in the bush which allows the rangers and Karen...
Steve hippo is quite the media star ! He has proved to be the cleverest young male hippo that has been studied by Karen. All young male hippos get chased away from their family pod from as early as two and a half years of age. It is normally their own mother who will attack them and chase them away once she is pregnant again. It is a harsh way for a male to be weaned but as they later have to be able to find their own territory and family, it is...
This is Max who lives in Kuchek’s family of hippos close to the Turgwe Hippo Trust headquarters, with Kuchek the bull and his father in front of him. Max is four months old in this photo taken July 2020. Hippos live in harmony with the crocodiles and often they will lick the crocodile in the tail region. Karen has put video’s of this on the Trust’s youtube channel Turgwehippomark as well as many other interesting videos of all the wildlife that are...
For all of you who follow Karen’s blog or check out the facebook page Karen Paolillo, or Turgwe Hippo Trust, you should remember Squiggle the slender mongoose. Squiggle was found by Karen under a log with still her umbilical chord attached and her eyes closed. There was no sign of her mother and no hole that she could have fallen out of, this was in March 2013. Karen brought her home and thanks to advice from Lisa Hywood, of the Tiki Hywood Trust in...
On the left is Kai, age one year and two month, playing with new calf Max age four months. Photo taken July 2020. Hippo calves play at open mouthed pushing games and often leap over each other in the water like dolphins. They will gape like this and joust with each other to see who is the strongest. When they are young it is purely play but once they reach adulthood these games will have taught them how to defend themselves and even fight another bull to...
This is Tembia hippo’s family with himself totaling 15 hippos. Three new calves born to his family this year 2020. Tembia is very special as he was conceived when Karen Paolillo first fed the last hippos of the Turgwe River back in 1991/92. His mother Lace conceived during the drought while Karen was feeding them all. His father was the most important of all the hippos, Bob, who features in Karen’s book A HIPPO LOVE STORY, which is available on this...
Karen is the Founder of the Turgwe Hippo Trust and every day she lives her life for the animals and with the animals.
Turgwe Hippo Trust : Haven for Hippos
We save the hippos of the Turgwe River in Zimbabwe
Karen Paolillo is the Founder of the Turgwe Hippo Trust, she is an author and was born in the UK, but has lived in Zimbabwe for most of her life.
As a little girl growing up in the UK, I told my Mum that one day I would live and work with wild animals in Africa. At that time I was horse mad and anything pony or horse caught my attention and fueled my passion.
Learn MoreThe Turgwe Hippo Trust is about saving the lives of families of hippos whose very existence would have ended way back in 1992, and helping those hippos to breed, have calves and live the lives they were born to lead as wild African animals.
How do human beings help such magnificent, wild and supposedly dangerous animals?
You can help the Trust to save the Hippos, what are the different ways ?
