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Karen's Blog
A New Lady Hippo is waiting for a Name
The last hippo calf of this season for you to have a chance to name is a female I am ninety percent sure of. I have been waiting up until now to be sure of her sex. So if I am wrong and you have won the draw then I will let you change her name to a male name. In the...
Live Talk Sunday 5th with Dan Richardson
Catch-Up Session For those of you who missed the live program on Food for Thought on line with actor and animal activist Dan Richardson and Karen Paolillo, here is the link on youtube https://youtu.be/UGcvRbXJJGQ (it might appear a warning message from youtube asking...
Warthogs at Karen’s Haven
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...
Steve and his New Friends
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....
Steve : New Media Star
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...
Max with Friends
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...
Latest News from Squiggle
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...
Hippos at Game
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...
Temba’s Familly- 2020
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...
Name a New Baby Hippo – July 2020 (winning name : Kia)
Please enter the draw below so that you have a chance to win and name the new baby hippo. He was born around the end of April 2020 Send us a male name and you may be lucky to win the draw to name this lovely new son for Odile and Tembia. The draw will be on the 3rd...
Welcoming Max !
Last May, we started a draw to name our latest cub born between 10 & 11th March 2020. He is a male, and his mother is Relief and father is probably Kuchek. His name is MAX and he is Relief’s third son. Relief's older son Steve has now become what we call our...
Happy News in May
Life here in the bush at Turgwe Hippo Trust has been interesting of late in that we now have a resident house hippo! Steve a young male of 2 years and nine months was chased out of the family pod at the beginning of this year. This was because his mother Relief was...