Hippo Raised by Rhinos Meets Another Hippo for First Time, It Goes Viral

Because of the internet, we’re used to seeing animals adopting another animal of a different species. But this is the first time I’ve seen one about animals this big and it will melt your heart.

Charlie is a hippopotamus who was abandoned when he was only a few days old. Luckily for Charlie, the Zululand Rhino Orphanage had just adopted a rhinoceros who had also been abandoned at a few days old. Since both hippos and rhinos are social animals, they decided to put the two together.

Charlie and the little rhino took to each other immediately and, since all he ever saw was other rhinos, Charlie believed he was a rhino. He played on land, for example, instead of spending his time in the water.

After a while the Orphanage found out about another hippo, Moomin, who had been raised on a private reserve and now needed rescue. They wanted her to have more “hippo” exposure, so they introduced her to Charlie. She even taught Charlie how to spend his day in the water!

What a wonderful rescue story, no wonder it’s garnered 6.5 million views in only a week! Watch the full video below and tell us what you think of Charlie and Moomin in the Facebook comments!

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