I met and fed the famous Jessica the Hippo near Hoedspruit in South Africa. One bottle, one enormous mouth and a travel memory that still feels larger than life.
Jessica the Hippo South Africa is one of those travel memories that still seems slightly unreal. I am the person in the photograph, holding a bottle while Jessica calmly opens a mouth large enough to make both the bottle and my confidence look surprisingly small.
I visited her home near Hoedspruit in South Africa around 2012. Jessica had been found after devastating floods in 2000 and was raised by Tonie and Shirley Joubert. Over time, she became famous for her unusual relationship with people and her willingness to return to the property, where supervised visitors could meet and feed her.
From a distance, a hippopotamus may appear slow and almost friendly. From this distance, however, every detail changes perspective. Her enormous head, powerful jaws and small, watchful eye reminded me that even a familiar animal remains a formidable wild creature.
The photograph captured a moment balanced somewhere between trust, curiosity and very sensible respect. I was focused on keeping the bottle in the right position, while Jessica was interested in only one thing: making sure not a single drop was wasted.
It was probably the biggest drink I had ever served—and definitely the only one where the guest could have swallowed the glass, the bottle and possibly the waiter.
- Date
- 2012-01-01