Owen and Mzee

Owen and Mzee are a hippopotamus and an Aldabra giant tortoise duo, respectively, that attracted media attention after forming an unusual bond of friendship.

[1] Owen was separated from his herd as a juvenile after Sumatra's December 2004 tsunami and was brought to the Haller Park rescue centre.

The pair were featured in Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, a 2006 book by Isabella and Craig Hatkoff, as well as the 2007 sequel Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship.

Jeanette Winter also created a picture book about Owen titled "Mama: A True Story".

The show premiered in 2018 at the Theater at Blessed Sacrament in Manhattan and featured Eric Willingham as Owen and TJ Bolden as Mzee.