Untitled

Owen & Mzee
Written by isabella Hatkoff & Craig Hatkoff
and Dr. Paula Kahumbu
Help and editing by juliana Hatkoff
Photographs by Peter Greste
IIlustrations by Joshua Scott
Additional artwork by Dino Martins
“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid....and a little
child shall lead them.”
–Isaiah
“It’s just about the strangest story I’ve ever heard.”
–Grampa Louie
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SPECIAL FESTIVAL FIRST EDITION
This free e-book is a Special Presentation of the
2005 Tribeca Film Festival
Artwork created by children from Mombasa, Kenya
as well as children at the Tribeca Famiily Festival on
April 30, 2005 will be included in the second edition.
This book is dedicated to the memory of the nearly 250 employees
of the Lafarge Group who perished or who are still missing from the
Tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004.
To find out how to help their families, please visit
www.lafargeecosystems.com
This book has been electronically published in conjunction with the Tribeca Film Festival, WNBC, Lafarge Eco
Systems and the NYU Child Study Center and is downloadable for free on their websites Permission is granted
to copy or reproduce this work in its unaltered entirety for non-commercial purposes. © 2005 Turtle Pond
Publications LLC. All rights reserved.
Please note: This first edition may contain grammatical errors. Feel free to send your comments and edits to
owenandmzee@tribecafilm.com. Print versions may be available at a later date. If you’re interested, email us.
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Want to color me
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December 26th, 2004 started off as a normal, quiet day. My son Joshua and I were out for a morning
walk along the beach in front of my home when suddenly the sea began to race in. Within minutes
the ocean became threatening. The tide had risen well beyond the high water mark. At that instant
it became apparent the Tsunami that had started nearly 4,000 miles away far across the Indian
Ocean would impact us as well. In less than 12 hours the Tsunami had finally reached the coast of
Africa from its point of origin in Banda Aceh.
We ran from the beach back to my house where my sister and her children were waiting for us. They
were all crying having just seen on television the haunting images of the devastating Indian Ocean
Tsunami. Although we escaped the waves, a one year old hippopotamus 80 kilometers away was
not as lucky.
Just before Christmas the unseasonably heavy rains near Malindi town washed a family of hippopotamuses
down the Sabaki River and out to sea. The residents of the town tried in vain to urge the
family back up the estuary. When the Tsunami hit Malindi, the sea turned angry, the sky clouded
over and for a moment the hippos disappeared and were forgotten as all efforts went to rescuing
the stranded fishermen.
The next day only one hippo could be seen. It was the baby and he was stranded on the reef. Hundreds
of people came to watch the efforts to rescue the hippo. It took ropes, boats, nets and cars
– though the hippo was tired he was still fast and slippery. It took a brave rugby tackle to finally
capture him, and the cheering of the crowd could be heard over a kilometer away.
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Lafarge Eco Systems agreed to provide a home for the baby hippo and I rushed to Malindi to collect
him. Tangled in fishing ropes, angry and tired, the hippo did not seem to appreciate our rescue
at all. As we left for Mombasa, the crowd unanimously agreed to name him ‘Owen’ in honor of the
volunteer who tackled him to the ground.
Exhausted, confused and extremely frightened, Owen immediately ran to the safety of a giant tortoise
when we released him in Haller Park. Mzee, our 130 year old tortoise, just happened to be
nearby and he was very surprised by Owen’s odd behavior cowering behind him as a baby hippo
does to its mother. Mzee quickly came to terms with his new friend and even returned signs of affection.
The unusual relationship between this baby hippo and the ancient tortoise amazed people the
world over and has featured in most countries on television and in news papers.
Owen and Mzee continue to spend their days together in the pond, feeding and patrolling. Owen
nudges Mzee to come for walks, and Mzee sometimes even follows Owen. Hundreds of people have
witnessed this incredible spectacle first hand at Haller Park which is open every day to the public.
Owen will eventually be moved to a bigger pond in Haller Park were he can socialize with other hippos.
Dr. Paula Kahumbu
Chief Environmentalist, Haller Park
Mombasa, Kenya
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Having written two children’s books with my older daughter Juliana, now age 10, I had been looking
for several years to find a suitable children’s book to write with my younger daughter Isabella,
age 6, for obvious reasons. When Isabella first saw the photograph of a baby hippo orphaned by
the Tsunami snuggling up next to a 130 year old giant tortoise in the newspaper she was fascinated
and her simple words were “daddy can we write our book about Owen and Mzee”
We started doing some homework. We emailed Dr. Paula Kahumbu in Kenya who was mentioned
in the press articles and asked if we could write a book about Owen and Mzee. So here we are.
The story itself was so powerful it required great deference and necessitated staying true to the
actual events; we also decided to use Peter Greste’s extraordinary photographs.
Our decision to launch the book in a completely non-traditional manner echoes the spirit of the
story itself. We would launch Owen &Mzee initially as an e-book in partnership with WNBC live on
the five o’clock news. A call to action was issued inviting children to the Tribeca Film Festival family
street fair to help create artwork for the book. Paula and Peter brought amazing artwork made
by children from Mombasa. This would be a truly collaborative effort. Everyone could write the
book together.
Next Dr. Harold Koplewicz and Dr. Marylene Cloitre from the NYU Child Study Center agreed to
write an accompanying piece for Owen & Mzee entitled Cultivating Resiliency: A Guide for Parents
and School Personnel. They convinced me that Owen & Mzee could be used as an important educational
tool covering many crucial developmental themes. Their guide shows how Owen & Mzee
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can be used in the home and the classroom. We are extremely to Harold and Marylene and Joshua
Mandell of the Child Studies Center for their help in this project.
When we first delved into the story of Owen & Mzee I was struck by the interconnectedness of the
world. Owen and Mzee currently live near Mombasa at Haller Park that is owned and operated
by Lafarge Eco Systems. The parent company, the Lafarge Group, lost 250, or nearly half, of their
employees at their plant near Banda Aceh during the Tsunami. This book is dedicated to those
employees and their families.
I also met via email Dino Martins who has created some wonderful additional artwork for the book.
I was struck by his background. Abandoned as a child, Dino survived through the help of friends
and his own self-determination. He has gone on to become one of the world’s leading experts on
bee pollination. He is currently working on his Ph.D at Harvard. Dino’s story, like Owen’s, is one
that inspires us all.
We would like to thank Charles Campbell-Clause for his additional photographs of Owen’s rescue.
This e-book is free. To print it out costs a couple of cents worth of ink and paper—cheap enough
to throw away when you’re done. It’s not perfect. But then neither is the world. But we hope it’s
good enough to get the job done.
Craig Hatkoff
Cofounder
Tribeca Film Festival
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When I first focused my lens on the baby hippo struggling beneath a fish net in the back of a pickup,
I never anticipated what a remarkable story it would become. Back then, it seemed then to be
just a curious quirk to the Asian Tsunami story, but one that would quickly disappear beneath the
weight of tragedy welling up on the other side of the Indian Ocean.
But when I returned to check up on Owen a few days later for some more shots, I began to realize
that the tiny mammal snuggling up to the centenarian reptile, was at the beginnings of a truly
remarkable and captivating relationship. Watching the friendship develop has been a privilege of
course, but it has also forced a rethink about what it all means.
Some scientists insist that we cannot and should not apply human emotions to our animal cousins.
They argue that we have no way of knowing what is really going on in the minds of these two creatures.
We should therefore not presume they are feeling anything remotely the way we do about
our friends or family.
But seeing the bond grow between these individuals from two entirely different species and two
entirely different ages, it has been hard to see it as anything other than a genuine love and affection.
As with humans, it seems to be the little gestures that give it away.
Owen will often stand motionless by his guardian’s shoulder, his head tilted slightly towards Mzee’s.
Occasionally, when he thinks nobody is watching, Owen will plant a sloppy lick across Mzee’s cheek;
and when Owen is off exploring a corner of the forest, Mzee will wait in a clearing, staring at the
bush until his friend finally emerges. The hippo also seems uncommonly protective, charging any
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stranger that dares venture too close to the tortoise.
Remember; Owen is a wild animal. Mzee has been around humans long enough to be tame, but
the baby hippo has spent only a relatively short time in captivity. Even then it has been with very
limited human contact. His behaviour has not been learned from anyone other than his own family
or his genes.
Perhaps that is what makes the story of Owen and Mzee so powerful; the fact that it is so unexpected.
After all, every animal behaviour expert we’ve spoken to is at a loss to explain it. Herpetologists
tell us reptiles are purely creatures of instinct that could never respond to a mammal, however
affectionate they may be. Yet Mzee seems undeniably happy to have Owen around. Behaviouralists
say Owen will eventually grow to understand that the old tortoise is not of his kind, and go
his own way. Yet every time I go out to take photographs, he seems as bonded as ever to his old
friend.
Owen and Mzee have come together only because of the unusual circumstances of Owen’s separation
from his family, his transfer to Haller Park, and the fact that they now share a big space to live
in. But it seems to be a powerful sign that all of us – hippos and tortoises included – need the support
of family and friends; and that it doesn’t matter if we can’t be near our blood-kin.
Then again, perhaps it doesn’t matter what Owen and Mzee are thinking. Perhaps it is enough that
we humans are able to learn something simply from watching them.
Peter Greste
Photographer
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Owen & Mzee poignantly reaffirms that life can overcome tragedy through love and support sometimes
from someone whom you least expect. Amid adversity, there is always a ray of sunshine.
Through heart-warming stories like that of Owen & Mzee, we relearn simple, ageless lessons about
creating new friendships and recognizing common bonds that unite us all -- country to country,
person to person, and animal to animal.
After September 11th, the city of New York received immense compassion and support from
around the world. We look now to return that same compassion and begin to build bridges with
those communities impacted by the 2005 Tsunami. The people of New York hope to foster an
enduring relationship with the people Kenya as well as other developing countries on the African
continent. In sharing our ideas and experiences, we learn and we grow.
We hope that this story will help inspire new friendships and encourage the people of Kenya to
come visit New York and we in turn will visit you in Kenya. Three cheers for Owen and Mzee! Welcome
to the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival.
Ambassador Charles Gargano
Chairman, Empire State Development Corporation
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COLD SNAP BRINGS RARE GULF SNOW
December 30, 2004
Snow has fallen in the United Arab Emirates
for the first time in years, shocking residents
of a desert country better known for its 90-
degree summer heat...
Northern Africa, United Arab Emirates
Decemeber 30, 2004
The nomadic Bedouin Zaim and his two sons, Taleb and Nabil, were caravanning across the Arabian
Desert. They had been traveling for two days through the Rub al-Khali, or “the Empty Quarter”,
the world’s largest expanse of sand.
Suddenly their camels began to act strangely—like startled horses that rear up on their hind legs.
Out of nowhere the desert winds began to stir and blow in tremendous, chilling gusts. In a matter
of moments the travelers saw something almost impossible to believe. It was snowing in the desert.
In the distance they could see the snow-covered mountains. It had never snowed in the desert
before. They were sure of it.
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Zaim’s elder son Taleb turned to his father. “Something is wrong. What is it father What is causing
the snow” Zaim replied to Taleb, “It must be the Shamalaya-- the northern winter winds”.
The younger son Nabil shook his head. “No father, it is not the Shamilaya” he said. Taleb asked his
younger brother, “Then what is it Tell me Nabil! You must tell me!”
Nabil spoke but a single word: “Tsunami”. Four day s earlier the tragic catastrophe shook and saddened
the world. Its impact was felt across the globe in many different ways.
Snow in the desert
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CHAPTER 1: HOW I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT OWEN AND MZEE
January, 2005
New York City
My name is Isabella and I am six years old. On the day we came home from our Christmas vacation
my daddy and I were looking at the newspaper when I saw a funny photograph. There was
picture of a baby hippo snuggling with a really, really big turtle. I asked my daddy to tell me about
it.
A baby hippopotamus in Kenya named Owen was separated from his family during the Tsunami.
The turtle’s name was Mzee. He was 130 years old. Mzee had adopted Owen and was now taking
care of him.
Mzee was a giant Aldabran tortoise. Daddy told a tortoise is a little different than a turtle. But
what seemed really strange to me is Owen is a mammal and Mzee is a reptile! I had a lot of questions.
I asked my daddy if we could learn more about them. We went on the computer and together we
searched for stories about Owen and Mzee. We learned a lot about them.
I also learned about the Tsunami where many people died and lots of damage was done. It made
me upset and sad just thinking about it. But whenever I think about Owen and Mzee or look at the
pictures of them together, it cheers me up. Daddy says it also cheers him up too. We thought if
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Owen following Mzee
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Owen grazing in the Sabaki River

we wrote a book about them it might cheer up other kids who were sad about what happened in
the Tsunami.
We sent an email to Dr. Paula Kahumbu who helped rescue Owen. Dr. Paula works at Haller Park
in Mombasa, Kenya where Owen and Mzee now live together. We asked if we could help her write
a book about them. She liked the idea and so we decided to write this book together. So this our
story of Owen and Mzee.
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CHAPTER 2: THERE’S A HIPPO IN THE INDIAN OCEAN
A few days before Christmas;
Upland along the shores of the The Sabaki River, Kenya
Little Owen and his family lived along the shores of the Sabaki River where they ate the plants and
grasses. The Sabaki flows into the Indian Ocean about 50 miles from Mombasa. Owen was just
about a year old but he already weighed more than 600 lbs. Daddy says he was already 10 times
bigger than me. I wondered how big he would get when he grew up
We discovered that hippos may have been related to whales around the time of the dinosaurs and
I thought that was really interesting. Baby whales are very big too. But Mzee was even bigger
than Owen!
In late December the rainstorms in Kenya caused the Sabaki River to flood. Owen and his family
were swept down the river. Owen’s whole family ended up in the ocean few days before Christmas.
They waded back and forth between the grassy shore and the ocean until the day after
Christmas when the Tsunami came.
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Owen Stranded in the Ocean 19

CHAPTER 3: THE TSUNAMI REACHES KENYA
December 26, 2004
Malindi Town, Kenya
The Tsunami began in a place called Banda Aceh in Indonesia on December 26th. Aceh is on the
other side of the Indian Ocean far away from Kenya. Many, many people were killed and there was
so much damage it is just terrible to think about. But then Daddy told me something I didn’t realize.
The giant wave also traveled 4,000 miles clear across the Indian Ocean at the speed of a jet.
About 12 hours later the Tsunami reached Kenya and the east coast of Africa. It did not hurt as
many people or do as much damage as in Indonesia. But it was very scary. When the Tsunami arrived
in Malindi town the Indian Ocean became very rough and dangerous.
Owen got separated from his family and was stranded on a coral reef offshore. As the water level
kept rising and falling Owen tried to get back to shore but couldn’t. He was stuck on the coral
reef. The water was to shallow to swim and because he weighed so much the coral kept crumbling
as he tried wade back to safety.
Before long many villagers heard there was a baby hippo stuck in the ocean and they came to help
rescue Owen. At first they tried catch Owen with their fishing nets. But Owen was scared and
confused. He kept running away from them. He probably thought they were trying to hurt him.
When they finally caught Owen he broke through their fishing nets.
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Next the villagers borrowed shark nets from a fisherman. The shark nets were much stronger than
the regular nets. For hours they chased Owen around the coral reef and the sand bars. Owen was
getting very tired and hungry and thirsty. But he did not want to be caught.
Finally a few men with the shark nets surrounded the baby hippo in the shallow waters. A brave
man by the name of Owen actually tackled him during the rescue. That’s how Owen got his name.
Once the rescuers caught Owen in the nets it was still hard to drag Owen back to shore because
the water was too shallow and Owen weighed so much. He was dragging on the bottom getting
little cuts from the sharp coral. Things didn’t look good for Owen. Many of the villagers thought
he might die. There were nearly a thousand people on the shore who gathered to watch the rescue.
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Owen tangled in the shark nets with his rescuers 23

CHAPTER 4: OWEN’S RESCUE
Then something strange happened next. When all seemed lost, suddenly the water level rose just
high enough to lift Owen off the bottom of the sea. The rescuers were then able to tow Owen, all
tangled up in the shark nets, back to shore. When Owen and his rescuers reached the shore all the
villagers cheered. Their shouts could be heard miles away. This probably scared Owen even more.
Some of the villagers said it was the bravery of the rescuers that saved Owen. Some thought it
was a miracle. Others were sure that it was the Tsunami itself that raised the water level just long
enough and high enough to rescue Owen. I guess it doesn’t really matter how it happened. All
that really matters is that Owen was saved.
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CHAPTER 5 ALONE IN THE WORLD
Owen was tired, scared, hungry, thirsty and quite angry. No one knew what happened to the rest
of his family. Now Owen was all alone. But there were still some big questions.
Where would Owen live And who would take care of him
Baby hippos usually stay with their mothers for four years. Dr. Paula said it would not be possible
to put Owen with another herd of hippos known as a pod (like a pea pod). The oldest male
would not like to have Owen around and Owen would be too small to protect himself. So Dr. Paula
and the others knew they would have to find another way to take care of Owen until he was old
enough to take care of himself.
What would soon happen to Owen was something very unexpected. First, it’s time for us to introduce
you to Mzee.
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Meet Mzee: the Giant Aldabran Tortoise 27

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Mzee singing

CHAPTER 6
Mzee was born about 130 years ago on the string of coral islands of Aldabra that is near the island
of Madagascar. Aldabra is the only place where these giant tortoises are born. So how did Mzee
get all the way from Aldabra to Kenya I wondered
Dr. Paula told us that Mzee was most likely taken from Aldabra by pirates. When Mzee was young
there were still pirates (can you believe it) who would steal these giant tortoises to use for food on
their long voyages. The pirates would turn them upside down on their ships so they couldn’t walk
around. Whenever the pirates got hungry I guess they just grabbed a poor tortoise for dinner!
Dr. Paula thinks Mzee somehow escaped and swam to Kenya when the pirates were shipwrecked
on a coral reef. But I thought that maybe a nice pirate just set Mzee free.
Mzee had a very interesting life and traveled all over Kenya. Mzee ended up in Haller Park which
was an old limestone quarry that was turned into a nature preserve. There were thirteen other Aldabran
tortoises at Haller Park. But Mzee liked to stay by himself most of the time. As you can see
Mzee doesn’t look like the friendliest tortoise. In fact he looks a little scary!
But Mzee was very fond of a man named of Steven took care of him along with the other animals.
Steven worked at Haller Park with Dr. Paula and Sabine. Dr. Paula told us many people thought
Steven could actually talk to the animals. Whether Stephen could actually talk to Mzee I don’t really
know. But he seemed to know what Mzee was thinking. And what he liked and didn’t like.
Mzee liked it when Steven t tickled his chin.
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Steven tickling Mzee

CHAPTER 7 OWEN’S SCARY TRIP TO HALLER PARK
Malindi town
Late Afternoon December 26th
Before Owen would meet Mzee he had to get to Haller Park which was a very unhappy experience
for him. Safe from sea, Owen was not happy about his situation. He did not understand what was
going on and he was scared and mad.
Most important I think he wanted to know where his family was. It’s just terrible to think about.
While he had been rescued, he needed a place to live and he needed someone to take care of him.
The people who were trying to rescue Owen knew about Haller Park and called to see if they had a
home for Owen.
Steven was recovering from malaria and was not feeling well when his boss Sabine called him the
day after Christmas. But when Steven heard there was an orphaned baby hippo that needed a
home he told Sabine he would go to Malindi with Dr. Paula to pick up Owen. Sabine would stay
and prepare a place at Haller Park for Owen to live. She had to fix the fence, fill the pond, and
bring grass for Owen to eat.
When Steven and Dr. Paula arrived in Malindi they found Owen still all tangled up in the shark nets.
They knew they had to get Owen on the truck and tie him down so he wouldn’t get hurt on the
two hour trip back to Haller park. It took nearly a dozen people to get Owen onto the back of the
truck.
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Then they had to put a blanket over Owen’s head to try to calm him down. But that didn’t work
very well. They all thought Owen was going to jump off the truck several times and were afraid he
would hurt himself badly.
Finally after many hours they were able to secure poor Owen on the back of the truck. It was a
long slow drive back to Haller Park. Dr. Paula and Steven were nervous that the police might stop
them and it would be very hard to explain what was going on. The police might think they were
stealing Owen! Meanwhile back at Haller Park Mzee was going about his business not knowing
what was in store for him.
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Unhappy Owen is tied down with blanket over his head

Can you trace
Mzee’s journey
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CHAPTER 8: OWEN MEETS MZEE
When Steven and Dr. Paula arrived with Owen at Haller Park it was nightfall. Sabine (and others)
greeted them and were very excited to meet Owen. It took a long time to untie Owen and get him
off the truck.
By now I imagine that poor Owen was really missing his mother and his father. To everybody’s
amazement the first thing Owen did was wander right over to Mzee who was just minding his own
business. Mzee hissed at Owen. But Owen did not give up. He just kept following Mzee around.
Mzee really wanted nothing to do with him.
But after a while Mzee began to accept his new companion. When Mzee went to sleep on the
(first) night he woke up in the morning with Owen snuggling right beside him. A photographer
named Peter was there to take the picture of them snuggling. And that’s the picture that I saw in
the newspaper that has seen around the world.
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The shot seen around the world 35

CHAPTER 9: BEST FRIENDS
April 2005
Own and Mzee have now been together for nearly four months. They are inseparable. Owen usually
follows Mzee around but sometimes Mzee will follow Owen. They sleep together, they swim
together, and they eat together.
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Owen resting on Mzee

How many butterflies can you find
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Daddy says a picture is worth a thousand
words so rather than tell you all about
how Owen and Mzee spend their time
we thought we could show you some
of Peter’s other great pictures of them
together. They are really amazing! The
pictures really tell the whole story.
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EPILOGUE
I don’t know if it was Mzee’s s size or shape or maybe his color that attracted Owen to him. But
Owen needed someone to be with. And he would not give up. Dr. Paula, Steven and Sabine were
all very surprised at Owen’s choice for his companion.
Of all the animals at Haller Park, Mzee was definitely not the friendliest but he was the oldest. And
maybe because Mzee had lived so long he really he knew alot. Mzee means “wise old man” in
Swahili and I think he was very wise. I guess that’s part of why he helped baby Owen. I also think
Mzee felt sorry for Owen for losing his parents. Maybe he remembered being taken away from his
parents by the pirates a long time ago and what it is like to be off in the world all alone. Daddy
says Mzee was showing human kindness to Owen even though he was a tortoise.
I like to think that if Owen and Mzee who couldn’t be more different can get along then maybe
people should all get along too. Remember, Owen and Mzee can’t even use their words to say if
they don’t like something. And they seem to get along just fine.
And whether Owen thinks Mzee is his mother or his father or just a good friend it really doesn’t
matter. Because Owen is no longer alone. And neither is Mzee.
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THE END

Rubbing noses
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