When Hippos Fly

Link to original post:  Tuckered Out: A Hippo's Story

Tuckered Out: A Hippo's Story


by Mark Danielson

FedEx flies all kinds of cargo. Animals are among the most interesting. I have flown sea turtles, horses, a variety of birds, and ferrets, and can now add a hippopotamus to that list. This is Tucker’s story. If he could write a sign, it would say, “Eight year old male hippo in need of a new home”. FedEx donated our services to move him from the Topeka zoo to the San Francisco zoo. Delivered under perfect flying conditions, Tucker is busily exploring his new surroundings.


Tucker’s story is as interesting as his journey. Born in captivity at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, he was destined to be relocated to the San Francisco zoo over a year ago, but the timing wasn’t right in San Francisco. Instead, he was transported to the Topeka zoo where he met a lovely mate. They fell in love and had a baby together on August 21, 2010. But this miracle of birth also proved to be Tucker’s downfall, for the Topeka zoo is not large enough to accommodate three hippos. Handler David Jaffe told me that while Tucker is a very docile animal, they were concerned he would inadvertently kill his baby by playing with him. Sadly, Tucker had worn out his welcome.

He was supposed to have been transported on November 30th, 2010, but this transportation fell through. With winter in full swing, an appeal was made for FedEx to fly him to San Francisco. FedEx agreed to transport him gratis as a hippotarian gesture. On January 6th, Captain Rich Fazio and First Officer Michael Michaud flew Tucker from Kansas City to Memphis. There, he patiently waited for First Officer Brian Donar and me to fly him to Oakland. His crate was then loaded onto a flatbed and trucked to the San Francisco zoo.

Tucker’s oversized crate was approximately 1 ½ times the size of a normal MD-11 pallet. Loaded with hay and food, he was as comfortable as any hippo can be under the circumstances. Attended by handlers David Jaffe and Scott Gamerl, and veterinarian Shirley Llizo, he was in good hands. Thankfully, our airplane was equipped with a rigid cargo barrier that kept Tucker’s distinct aroma confined to the upper cargo compartment.

Thanks to good weather, Tucker probably never knew he moved. He was a perfect passenger throughout our flight. Had he been upset, we definitely would have known since annoyed oversized animals tend to bounce airplanes. But Tucker did none of that. His handlers checked assured me our four thousand pound puppy was quite content. Only they would know.

On our initial descent into Oakland, the Oakland Center controller assigned a step-down altitude. To make it easier on Tucker’s ears, I had Brian request a constant descent because of our special cargo. The controller then asked if we had horses on board. Pleased to hear it was a hippo, he replied, “Cool.” From then on, we received special handling that never required us to level-off. Tucker’s information was passed from controller to controller to assure our arrival went smoothly.

I elected to use the full runway length so our deceleration was gradual. The taxi in went as smoothly as our taxi out. The SF zoo was very appreciative of FedEx’s service, and I was happy to be among those playing a part in his relocation. Far more people were involved in this operation than I will ever know, but this was a success because it was a team effort.

Single again, Tucker is now free to find a new mate while enjoying California’s moderate climate. San Francisco may not be Disney World, but it’s far better than winter in Topeka. As for FedEx – we again proved that we deliver the world on time.

T.G.I.F.

Whew!  We made it through another work week.

I'm going to try to leave the work stress behind at the office and spend some quality time with my mare.

Have a good weekend!

Will Someone Please Turn Up the Heat

Brrrrr...we've been in the icebox here with temperatures dropping to -12F/-24C at our house.  Misty and SaraJane have fared well with plenty of hay to keep their tummy furnaces stoked.  They usually eat their meals in the barn, but the last two mornings they have shown a strong preference for dining outside in the sun. Smart horses.

Patio Dining for Two

Last New Years I set some equine related goals.  I cringe a little as I look back at that post where I wrote:

1. With Misty, I would like to attend a horsemanship clinic and a trail riding clinic. And of course, do more riding and get out on more trails. 
2. With Marley, I would like to be able to drive him around the neighborhood by myself and attend some driving clinics and/or pleasure drives with other driving enthusiasts. 

Goal 1 Result:  I came very close to meeting my goals with Misty.  The trail riding clinic I had signed her up for was canceled (although I did ride Marley in a trail clinic).  But we did go on some nice trail rides and we attended a very productive horsemanship clinic. I feel good about the accomplishments I  made with Misty in 2010.  

Goal 2 Result:  Well, you know part of that story and Marley is in a new home.  I'm sad about that, but it was best for both of us.

While goals are great tools for helping us achieve our dreams, they needn't be set in stone.  Goals should be reasonable and they need to be periodically evaluated and adjusted. 

W.C. Fields said:

 If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. 
Then quit. 
There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.

I didn't meet my goals with Marley. I'm disappointed about that, but it actually helped me achieve my goals with Misty.  Marley made me re-evaluate my circumstances and see that I needed to simplify.   I decided not to purchase another horse. Instead I am focusing on Misty's saddle training while providing a foster home for a companion horse.

I don't have any specific equine goals for 2011 in mind right now.  I have more of a mission statement:

To enjoy my horse and keep improving my horsemanship skills by taking riding lessons and attending clinics and trail rides whenever I can.

I wish all of you and your horses a happy, productive, healthy, and safe New Year.

Christmas Copter Surprise

Christmas day started out very calm and peaceful.  We had just finished a late lunch when we saw an unusual black and white striped helicopter fly low past our house.  We watched from the windows as it hovered over the property across the street as if the pilot were intending to land at our neighbor's house.  Then it reversed direction and circled back around our house, around our barn, coming very low over the horse's dry lot, then we lost sight of it.  We ran to the living room window to watch it land across the street and I said,  "I bet that was a good desensitizing experience for the horses."  Just after I spoke those words, we saw SaraJane running wildly across our front yard with that tail of hers straight up in the air.  Oh oh!  Horse on the loose!  And on the run!

The helicopter landed across the street in our neighbor's yard.  I found SaraJane behind our house, running up and down outside the pasture fence, whinnying frantically to Misty who was on the other side of the barn, still in the dry lot where she was supposed to be.  How on earth did SaraJane get out?  Then we saw the dry lot fence.

The poor little girl must have lost her mind when that horse eating pterodactyl flew overhead.   It looks like she ran right through the fence. 

Fixing fence was not on the agenda for Christmas day, but Mr.OnceUpon got right on it.  As he was working, I noticed that Misty has been doing some of her artistic whittling on this wooden fence post.  Silly termite!

I went across the street and introduced myself to the neighbors.  (What a way to meet your neighbors, huh?)  They are renters and haven't been here long and will be leaving soon when their new house is finished.  I told them we had a little mishap with the helicopter flying so low over our horses and asked that they call me before the helicopter takes flight so I could close the horses in the barn.  They were very nice and were sorry to have scared the horses and asked if SaraJane was ok.   She is fine.  She made it through the fence with just one small scrape on her leg.  The pilot is their son and he was "dropping in" for dinner to surprise his mother on Christmas day.  At first he had tried to land from the other direction, but the wind was not in his favor and that is why he circled around our house and came in low over the horses. 

The dad gave me a call when his son began his pre-flight and I locked Misty and SaraJane in the barn. It probably would have been good for them to see the helicopter lift off and fly away, but we had enough excitement for one day.

The pilot lifted off and flew away into the sunset, with an audience of neighbors standing in the street.  It's not every day that a really cool looking helicopter lands on our street.

Oddly, this is the 3rd helicopter to buzz us (if you count the gyrocopter) and the 2nd time this year that one of my horses has had the wits scared out of them by a low flying helicopter (the trail ride incident last June was the first). My horses seem to attract more helicopters than flies. 

But all are safe and calm now.

Merry Christmas.

Under the Gun and Under the Weather

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, however I would love to vacation on another planet right now.

I'm under the gun at work which continues to be extremely stressful as several project deadlines are looming in February. I won't be online much until I get through this big push.  I'm just hoping all the other parties involved in this huge work effort get their acts together so I can get my part done and over with.  I don't want these projects bleeding into spring and summer. 

I'm under the weather because stress + overtime = illness.  It was bound to happen.  I got hit hard by a virus and have been sick in bed all week.  I'm hoping the worst is over.  I don't have time to be sick.

Horse time is limited too, but I'm trying to ride once or twice a week depending on weather, health, and energy level.  I only have two opportunities to ride during the winter weeks.  I can ride on Saturdays if the weather is mild enough for outdoor riding.  Or I can ride one evening a week when a local equestrian facility opens their indoor arena to the public.

Riding with the public is an interesting experience in itself.  The arena may be packed with riders going both directions at various speeds.  In a word: chaos.  Unfortunately there is no arena etiquette during these public riding times.  It's every rider for himself; watch out and avoid collisions.   Other nights I may find myself with the entire indoor arena to myself.   That is a different challenge with the eerie silence interrupted occasionally by sudden noises that are amplified by the big space.  I think I'll take a radio with me to cut through the heavy silence when I find myself riding alone.  I hate to ride alone!

I hope to catch up and visit your blogs this weekend since I'm still too sick to ride. 

I do hope everyone and everyhorse is having a healthy and happy holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

Misty's Monday Muse - Feelin' Groovy

It's not even Christmas yet and I got some groovy new threads.  Check me out in my new fleece cooler.

MyLady says it reminds her of a pair of bell bottoms she had in the '70s.  You couldn't pay her to wear pants with horizontal stripes now though.  I'm cool with the stripes.

Being the full-figured chick that I am, clothes off-the-rack don't always fit me to the max.  I'm wearing a size 81 and it is a little snug in the shoulders.  The length is good, but the belly straps had to be extended all the way.

Big is beautiful, Man!

Since I have all my winter hair now, I get sweaty under my saddle when I shake my groove thing.  My new cooler will keep me from getting chilled when I ride home in my rolling box after a workout.

Can you dig it?

Peace out,

Things People Say

Last night my husband and I attended a church youth barn dance in a small country town. The dance floor was lined with hay bales and the  D.J. was spinning tunes from a big flatbed trailer strung with white lights.  The organizers did a great job decorating.  The refreshments were yummy and the kids were having fun.

At the entrance were some ladies seated at a sign-in table to check kids in as they arrived.  The dance music was loud and I probably didn't enunciate my words well, resulting in a funny exchange with one of the ladies.

Next to the table was a tub full of horse shoes for the kids to take home as a memento. Mr. OnceUpon made a remark that started this odd conversation:

Mr. OnceUpon:  "None of those shoes would fit Misty."

Me:  "Nope, they are way too small.

Lady:  "Oh, do you have a horse?"

Me:    "I have a draft horse and she has really big feet."

Lady:  "Really?!  Wow!  Where do you keep your giraffe?

Up in the air! Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

As I was finishing my morning barn chores one day last week, I saw an unusual, loud, slow moving aircraft circling our property.  I've seen an ultralight plane fly over once in awhile, but this was very different.  It was small, bright yellow and had a rotor much like a helicopter.

A few days later my husband received this photo taken by a friend of ours who was riding in that odd little craft which I now know was a gyrocopter.

You can see me walking back to the house. Too bad the horses aren't in the picture, but they were in the barn happily chowing down on their breakfast hay.

Can you see my horse trailer, discreetly parked behind the house?  It's a big pain to back it around the corner, but that's the place where I must park it in order to comply with our rigid homeowner's association rules.

You can see the circle in the front where I lunged Misty this summer before the grass got too dry and she started slipping on it.  I really want a round pen. That would be a good place to put one, but alas, our snooty homeowners association won't allow a round pen at the front of the property. I might be able to put one in the pasture, but it would require some costly excavation.

Don't be alarmed.  We haven't buried anyone in our backyard.  (That would also be a violation of homeowner association rules).   That's just our septic tank buried in what looks like a grave.