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February 2008
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This month's stories:

Hippo/Whale Relationship Rethought

For years, the hippo has been the leading candidate for the closest land relative to whales because of its similar DNA and whalelike features. Still, some researchers have been troubled that hippos seem to have lived in the wrong part of the world and popped up too recently to be a whale ancestor. Nevertheless, some scientists were skeptical of a new hypothesis by an Ohio anatomy professor whose work has been published in the journal Nature. And, ironically, he was one of the first scientists to have claimed to have found a fossil linkage between hippos and cetaceans in the first place.

Newer fossils point to the deerlike Indohyus. The animal is a "missing link" to the sister species of ancient whales, said Hans Thewissen, an anatomy professor at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. 

The key finding connecting Indohyus to the whale is its thickened ear bone, something only seen in cetaceans. An examination of its teeth showed that the land-dwelling creature spent lots of time in the water and may have fed there, like hippos and whales. Also, the specific positioning and shape of certain molars connect Indohyus to the earliest whales, which are about 50 million years old, Thewissen said. 

"The earliest whales didn't look like whales at all," Thewissen said. "It looked like a cross between a pig and a dog." They lost their legs and ability to walk on land about 40 million years ago, he said. 

And the Indohyus? "A tiny little deer maybe the size of a raccoon and no antlers," Thewissen said. He said it most resembles the current African mousedeer, which has a ratlike nose and "when danger approaches, it jumps in the water and hides." 

Other scientists are intrigued, but far from convinced. 

"While this new hypothesis for the origin of whales is compelling, it will require further testing, especially since other recent studies have suggested both hippos and Raoellids were involved in whale ancestry," stated San Diego State University biology professor Annalisa Berta. Raoellids are the larger grouping of species that include the Indohyus. 

Kenneth Rose, a professor of functional anatomy and evolution at Johns Hopkins University, said Thewissen didn't provide enough evidence to merit his conclusions. He also questioned the use of the composite skeleton. 

The ear bone thickness, the key trait that Thewissen used, was difficult to judge and seemed based on a single specimen, Rose said. Much of the work is based on teeth, and overall the remains preserved from this family of species are poorly preserved, he said. 

Thewissen said there are problems with not enough well preserved fossils, but he said what's left makes a strong case for Indohyus as the closest land ancestor -- with hippos as the closest living land relative.

Source: The Courier Journal (online) - 11 Feb 08.
8/3/08

Investigators Release Report on Death of Hazina the Hippo

The death of a hippopotamus who spent nearly 29 hours in a crate as she was transferred from Denver to Canada was an accident that no one could have reasonably foreseen, an independent veterinarian concluded this week.

In a report released Tuesday, veterinarian Jacques Dancosse nevertheless recommended steps to prevent another death like that of Hazina, a 6-year-old hippo who died Oct. 27.

Denver Zoo officials had sent Hazina to the Calgary Zoo in Alberta, Canada, as part of a breeding program because the other male hippos in Denver were her brother and father.

A worker had checked on the hippo and offered food and water every 3 to 4 hours but never saw Hazina stand in her crate, even though she had room to do so, wrote Dancosse, a consulting veterinarian for the International Air Transport Association. 

"Nobody saw . . . Hazina stand up for almost 29 hours," said Dancosse. "If she sat . . . in the dog-sitting fashion (but nobody can be sure of that), it is easily understandable that the pressure was very significant on her hind legs all the time. Pressure was also present on her front legs and sternum.

"Hippos are not marine mammals," Dancosse added. "They are well adapted to spend lots of time on earth foraging and resting. The fact that they often move prevents them to be affected by myopathy . . . or killed by their own weight." 

Dancosse concluded that the weight caused oxygen and nutrient deprivation throughout her muscles setting off a fatal chemical reaction in the animal. In Dancosse's official report and in comments by the two zoos, it was noted that since 1966, the Denver Zoo had transported 14 hippos without incident. 

But Tuesday officials said that there was a big difference between Hazina and the hippos that had gone before her. All of the previous animals were under two years of age and weighed significantly less than Hazina, they said. In addition, Hazina had been given hormones to reduce her fertility. Those hormones, said Dancosse, may have caused her to shoot up from 2,400 pounds in 2006 to 3,200 pounds in October 2007, which may have increased pressure on her legs and exacerbated the situation.

Dancosse also said he found the narrow width of the transfer crate troubling, as well as the fact it did not have a nonslip floor, which may have made it difficult for the hippo to stand. Dancosse wrote that the Denver and Calgary zoos had planned well for the transfer. His recommendations to prevent another death included using a crate with a non-slip floor to make it easier for an animal to stand, using crates wide enough for an animal to lie on its side instead of sitting on its hind legs, and using a closed-circuit camera to keep an eye on the animal while driving.

For more information please see our Oct/Nov 2007 articles.
A copy of Dr. Dancosse’s report is available here.

Sources: WTOP.com and Denver Post (online) 6 Feb 08
8/3/08

S.A. Farmer Shoots Hippo Legally…Arrested Anyway

The Pretoria high court has awarded a Thabazimbi farmer more than R600,000 (US$75,000) in damages following his ordeal at the hands of police after he had killed a hippo on his farm. Judge Louis Visser on Thursday ruled that the minister of safety and security was liable to pay this amount to Bernard Terblanche (40), of the farm Olifantsdrift. However, the farmer could not proceed with his claim against the "brutal" policeman, only known as Inspector Mogale, as he has since died.

Terblanche claimed damages after he was unlawfully arrested by the police on a charge of hunting protected game. He injured his back during the bumpy ride to the police station.  Terblanche said that in 2005 a hippo cow wandered on to his farm from the nearby Limpopo River. The animal damaged his crops and eventually the department of nature conservation issued him with a permit to shoot the animal.

On July 13, 2005, he again saw the cow on his farm and fired a shot, wounding her. She fled through his game fence back into the river. Terblanche and a family member managed to kill her in the water. At the farm they skinned the animal and stored the meat.

Two inspectors of the nearby Cumberland police station came to investigate the incident and called the commander of the police station (Mogale) to tell him all was in order. But Mogale insisted that Terblanche be arrested.  He arrived on the farm two hours later and accused the farmer of making a hole in his fence to attract the hippo.

The farmer was loaded on to the police's 4x4, which had two loose wooden seats.  Terblanche said Mogale drove fast over rough terrain.  He injured his back so badly that he could not walk when they stopped at the police station. He was helped inside and was refused permission to lie down, to make a call or to be taken to his doctor. Terblanche was taken to the Thabazimbi court, where a prosecutor told the police there was no case against him.

Thanks to a spinal injury Terblanche had to stay in hospital for five days and remain in bed for the next six weeks. Visser said this was definitely a case of unlawful arrest.  He said Mogale's conduct was "quite brutal and unwarranted" and he clearly acted with an ulterior motive.

Source: Pretoria News via IOL.co.za - 22 Feb 08
8/3/08

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