The 5-year-old hippo, which was brought to the zoo in Japan in 2017, began to exhibit movements that surprised its keepers as it got older. When the caregivers became uncomfortable with the situation, they reported it to the authorities. The strange truth was revealed after DNA testing. It was learned that the hippopotamus, which was raised as a male in the zoo where it had been for 7 years, was actually a female.
THERE WERE SUSPICIONS THAT HE WAS NOT A MALE
In the statement made on April 18 from Osaka Tennoji Zoo in Japan, the following statements were made:
“Gen-chan arrived as a male from the African Safari in Mexico in 2017 and has been raised as a male until now, but as he got older he was not exhibiting male-typical behavior and his genitals could not be visually verified. There was some doubt as to whether he was actually a man. As a result, DNA testing was conducted by an outside organization and the animal was determined to be female.”
NAME WILL NOT CHANGE
Authorities stated that Gen-chan, who was 5 years old when he came to Japan, was listed as male on his country entry documents, and also emphasized that the hippo’s name would not be changed.
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