Thursday, January 14, 2010

Hippo on run from flooded Montenegro zoo

A female hippo, Nikica, is on the loose in a village in southern Montenegro after escaping from a flooded zoo.

The two-tonne animal, considered one of the world's most dangerous, reportedly swam over the wall of her pen during heavy flooding in the Balkan country.

The owners of the private zoo say they have to wait for flood waters to recede before trying to capture her.



Nikica has been wallowing in the water in Plavnica village, where she is a popular tourist attraction.

Nikola Pejovic, one of the owners of the zoo, says her movements are being tracked by the zoo's private security and that she is "extremely tame and peaceful".

He said that she would probably stick to a path about 1km (0.6 miles) long, leading towards neighbouring houses in the village, near the capital Podgorica on Lake Skadar.

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