Giant Hippo Escape Sparks Nighttime Search Near Parco Natura Viva

Gianluigi Castellani: “Once I caught a runaway condor, but this time…” The veterinarian was there to tranquilize the animal “but it was impossible at night and in the dark.” The first to see it – or rather, see it, in all its 25 quintals of strength – was the family dog. It barked relentlessly until waking Bianca, 72 years old, who was in her bedroom: after all, it was well past one o’clock at night. Bianca sticks her face out to understand what convinced the dog to howl in that way, and sees “a beast like never before.” Then,” she recounts, “I called my son, who is upstairs at home, and I told him ‘Look, there’s a rhinoceros in the garden.’

Calls and Suspicions

There’s enough to get things moving. The man, Claudio Castellani, calls the other brother who lives in a small house just down the street: “Wake up,” he advises him, “there’s a beast, probably a hippopotamus.” Soon after, while Claudio drives to pick up his brother Gianluigi, his wife calls the Carabinieri. But as soon as she starts saying that there’s a hippopotamus in her garden, the officers begin to doubt her credibility: “Ma’am,” they ask, “how old are you? What day is today? Are you sure of what you’re saying?”

The Confirmation and Public Intervention

The woman remains calm and explains that her house, from which she is calling, is not far from the Parco Natura Viva. The pieces then start to fall into place: the animal may have escaped, and this definitely warrants intervention by the authorities. The last night of Lolita, a six-year-old hippopotamus born and raised at Cesare Avesani’s park, begins in this manner.