On June 9, 2007, the Espace Zoologique of Saint-Martin-la-Plaine agreed to take care of a hippopotamus seized by the authorities, while waiting to find a place for it. Belonging to a traveling circus for 7 years, the hippo named Tonga has never been legalized and its owners do not benefit from any certificate of capacity. The animal is poorly cared for: a tooth pierced its upper lip without it ever receiving adequate care.
Three months later, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation raised the necessary funds and completed the administrative procedures for Tonga to be sent to Sanwild, a reserve in South Africa . Since then, the animal has found another of its kind, Aldo, and roams freely in the immense African reserve of 6,000 hectares, in the company of elephants, giraffes, buffaloes and many other species.
Contact
- 04 77 75 22 90
- contact@association-tonga.com
- Tonga Terre d'Accueil,
Espace Zoologique,
42800 SAINT-MARTIN-LA-PLAINE
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