In a stunning revelation, Osaka Tennoji Zoo in Japan has announced that a hippopotamus, believed to be a male for seven years, is, in fact, a female. Zookeepers had been noticing that the 12-year-old hippo named Gen-chan did not display typical male hippopotamus behavior, prompting them to carry out a DNA test.
It must be a hippo-cratic error
The hippo, Gen-chan arrived in Osaka from Mexico in 2017 and was initially declared male based on customs documents. But as she got older, zookeepers grew suspicious because they could not visually identify male reproductive organs. According to a statement on the zoo’s website, Gen-chan was still a calf when she arrived, so they did not question the documents at the time.
In a statement, the zoo said, “We recognize the importance of confirming the sex, and we want to ensure that such mistakes will not happen again.”
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A spokeswoman for the zoo added that typical male hippo behavior that Gen-chan was not displaying included making courtship calls to female hippos or scattering feces around while defecating with a propeller-like tail motion in order to mark territory.
The zoo has confirmed that Gen-chan will not be getting a name change despite the revelation. The Osaka Tennoji Zoo has expressed its commitment to providing a comfortable environment for Gen-chan.
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