This was not our most creative year for Halloween. I had originally considered themes from both Star Trek and Disney's Frozen, but the goat boys' growing bulk and general lack of costume cooperation led me to concede to their first choice - Where's Waldo? - after the popular storybook character who blends in with his surroundings. Guess Em and Ellie thought they could sneak in to nibble the shrubbery in our garden's "Restricted Section..." Might have been more successful if they hadn't kept shaking off their matching striped hats and dark glasses. I see you, crazyheads!!
Where's Emerson? Where's Elliot? Even as I laughed at their antics, the day weighed bittersweet as I processed sorrowful news just posted on the Cincinnati Zoo's Facebook page. Where's Henry? I imagined two hippos calling out, unanswered, confused by the silence from Henry's enclosure. Bibi's beloved mate and the father of world-famous (and quite adorable!) Fiona, Henry lost his battle Tuesday to a debilitating illness of several months. Elderly by hippo standards at 36, Henry is described as a "gentle giant" and loved waterfalls, watermelons, and afternoon underwater naps with his "bloat" (hippo for herd). Even when overshadowed by his feisty, celebrity daughter, Henry was dependable and sweet. As a sire to six hippo calves in his lifetime, he certainly left a legacy to this vulnerable species. Regrettably, Henry was indoors under veterinary care during our summer visit to the Zoo, so my memories of Fiona and Bibi are as they are now, a bloat of two.
If you've followed the roller-coaster of Fiona's story since her extremely premature birth in January, if you've rejoiced with her miraculous survival and the joyful reunion of her family this summer - then you are already mourning the loss which surely she and Bibi feel. As I chased my goats around the yard with striped hats and a camera, I wondered, how do you comfort a grieving hippo? How do you explain why Henry is silent, where Henry has gone?
The sun is shining. There's laundry to do, dishes in the sink, but that can wait. I think I'll go outside and play with my goats.
