NEWS BLIPS
Lu The Hippo Celebrates At Homosassa Springs
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through Florida State Parks' website.
Florida’s only resident hippopotamus turned 59 recently and officials and fans at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park threw him a birthday party. Lu, an African hippo, was born at the San Diego Zoo on Jan. 26, 1960 and has lived at Homosassa Springs since 1964. Once part of the with the Ivan Tors Animal Actors troupe, which wintered at the park when it was privately owned, Lu starred in movies and television shows including the 1960s movies "Daktari" and "Cowboy in Africa," and television specials such as the Art Linkletter Show and the Herb Alpert Special. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Park Service purchased the attraction in 1989 to showcase native Florida wildlife, and the hippo faced expulsion as an exotic species, but public support led the state to grant Lu special Florida citizenship in 1991, ensuring him a permanent home.
For the birthday celebration, Lu enjoyed a vegetarian birthday cake made specifically for a hippo and was serenaded by students from local elementary schools with a special birthday song written by park staff. At 59, well over the typical lifespan of 40 to 50 years for this species, Lu is now the oldest hippo in North America and attracts fans from around the world.
Find out more about Lu on his Facebook page and about visiting him along with manatees and other Florida wildlife on the Homosassa Springs website.