Why hippos open their mouths...

When God created the Earth, he created the hippo. God wanted to put the hippo on land, but the hippo said to God “we want to be in the water”. God said to the hippo “No, you cannot be in the water, you will eat all of my fish, you are too big and must eat a lot”. The hippo made a deal with God, if God would allow the hippo to live in the rivers the Hippo would be a vegetarian and only eat grass. To prove this to God the hippo will open their mouths to show to god that they are only eating grass, not fish. God would be able to see that the hippo is not eating fish and he will continue to let the hippo live in the river.

Jonathan added to this, that the reason a hippo has a little tail that wags is to show God when they poo that there are no fish bones. The tail scatters their poo and God can see once again that they are not eating his fish. If a hippo eats a fish, it is only by accident because the fish was in the grass.

Why hippos open their mouths... According to Jonathan, our river tour guide.

 

 

 

The Kavango River flows along the northern border of the Kavango Region between Namibia and Angola. Both countries use this river for everything from fishing to washing laundry. The River provides life, not only to the people using it, but a variety of wildlife who live in and off the river.

 

 

 

Hippos and crocodiles are the largest animals in this river, and while they are the most exciting they are also the most dangerous. Many people are taken each year by crocodiles, in fact a small child was killed last week by a crocodile while he was bathing in the river. Goats and calves are eaten by crocodiles more frequently, but humans are always at risk when using the river.

 

This little guy was harmless, only about 3 feet in length



This is a crocodile swimming in the river, that we all somehow missed as we were passing. He was pretty big, as you can tell by his head. Some crocs get as big as 20 feet in length.

 

Look closely, you will see a cute little brown bird... I forgot what it is called...

Cattle Egrets sit with the weaver bird nests.

 

 The River, like any natural resource must be respected and protected. The Kavango river is referenced in many cultural dances and songs, and in general is a large part of life in the Kavango Region. The river allows life to continue in Kavango even when the country is facing drought. Crops have water, homes have water, and cattle still have water, all of this allowing people to eat and farm. It is the Kavango River that allows this region to have the potential to be the "bread basket of southern Africa".