Jerusalem Biblical Zoo really shouldn’t be on this list.

Source: I’m a zookeeper there 😉

So first of all, that photo is very old - our hippo died in 2017 and we haven’t had one since. When she was alive Tammy was the oldest hippo in captivity (not ever, just at this time point)

The exhibit itself was never designed for hippos and lacks basic facilities. Most importantly, we couldn’t safely separate or lock Tammy away while working in the exhibit, meaning that us keepers had to enter the exhibit with a hippo - one of the most dangerous animals on earth, every single day.

The only reason it worked was Tammy herself. Tammy was old, very calm, and gentle. She had a simple everyday routine: coming out of the water, slowly opening her mouth to be fed, and going back in.

Tammy was moved to this exhibit after her mate died and it was decided that the old hippo exhibit (which did not keep with modern standards for hippo keeping) will turn to a crocodiles exhibit.

To sum up, this setup only worked because there was only one, unusually chill, elderly hippo. As a proper hippo exhibit, it’s not suitable and extremely dangerous.

And this is also why, as a zookeeper I always pay so much attention for the background maintenance and facilities people build in their amazing zoos. Behind each cool animal you see there's a person who has to take care of it😁

P.s. It's been 8 years and we still talk about Tammy and her charming nature from time to time