Hippopotamus is too handsome, apparently misidentified

There was no question that Gen-chan's face looked unusual for a young male hippo. Too handsome.

OSAKA, WEDNESDAY — For two years the manager of the Tennoji zoo in Osaka, Japan, has been curious. This is because a hippopotamus that was received in 2017 did not show the usual behavior for these animals at the age of 10 years. It turned out that the management had incorrectly identified the sex of the animal.

We requested a DNA test from an outside party. Apparently, the result was a female.

As reported by AFP on Tuesday (23/4/2024), the hippo named Gen-chan was identified as a male animal when it was received from Mexico. The introductory document from the manager of Africam Safari in Mexico also states Gen-chan as a male hippo.

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The Tennoji zoo management initially believed in the document. However, they began to question it after observing the abnormal behavior of Gen-chan. The animal should have started marking its territory or approaching females from 2022 onwards.

As it turns out, Gen-chan doesn't exhibit typical behavior of a 10-year-old male hippopotamus. Even the keepers at Tennoji Zoo didn't see any physical characteristics of a male hippopotamus on Gen-chan. "That's why we requested DNA testing from an external party. The result showed that Gen-chan is female," said the management of Tennoji.

OSAKA TENNOJI ZOO/HANDOUT/AFP

Gen-chan, a pet hippo at Tennoji Zoo in Osaka, Japan.

Regarding trust in the introduction document, the management reasoned that Gen-chan arrived as a child. Therefore, there are almost no questions about their gender.

In fact, there is no question when Gen-chan's face appeared unusual to a young male hippopotamus. He was too handsome. Later, it was discovered that the hippopotamus was actually female. (AFP)