Hippo Jumps from Truck to Escape, Residents Think it's 'Dinosaur'
Local residents of a Taiwanese city thought they had seen a dinosaur after a hippo jumped from a moving vehicle in the western part of the country.
The hippo, named 'A Ho', was seem trying to "fly" by some passers by before he fell out the back of a truck in central Miaoli county.
A Ho allegedly panicked when he was being transported in the truck and in his bid to escape, he jumped from the vehicle. He was being transported to another venue as there are renovations going on in his home at Taichung Sky-Zoo.
The massive thud of the giant animal hitting the concrete road shocked the residents who immediately ran outside to figure out what had happened. The hippo broke its leg in the fall. A footage of the huge animal lying on the ground with a white liquid oozing from his eyes was shown in the local television channel.
An eyewitness told the United Daily News that she ran out of her house after she heard the loud sound of the hippo's crash and for a moment she thought she was looking at "a dinosaur" lying on the road, News.com reports.
The injured hippo was eventually lifted into a cargo truck and taken to its previous habitat. At present, it is receiving medical attention and recuperating.
The hippo might recover fully, but its owner could face some troubles due to the incident.
The Taiwanese authorities told AFP news agency that the owner of the hippo could face a fine of up to Tw$75,000 (US$2,400) for violating animal protection laws because of the injuries it suffered, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
