On December 26, 2004, a powerful earthquake hit the floor of the Indian Ocean, sending a tsunami as far away as the coast of Kenya. The wave washed away a pod of hippos into the sea. Only one hippo survived, a baby that would one day be known as “Owen.” Residents of the coastal town of Malindi, Kenya, worked to rescue Owen. Today, he lives happily in a wildlife sanctuary called Haller Park, near Mombasa. But what is really remarkable is the story of Owen and his best friend, a 130-year-old tortoise named Mzee. Mzee (whose name means “wise old man”) took the hippo under his wing after the hippo’s arrival. Mzee protected Owen and taught him to survive.