A hippo has died after being injured in two accidents in Taiwan last week – once when it fell from a moving truck and again when its container was dropped as it was being returned to its pond.
The animal, named “A Ho” after the Chinese word for hippo Ho Ma, was found dead in its pond at a farm in Taichung.
The island’s Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji criticised A Ho’s owner, the head of a private ranch, for what he said was carelessness in transporting the animal.
An autopsy will be performed on the animal to determine the exact cause of death and the government is considering prosecuting the hippo’s owner.
“The city government has asked prosecutors to look into the case,” Chen Ming-hui, a local official, said.
The ranch has also been ordered to come up with a plan to improve the management of the rest of animals kept there.