Injured hippo dies in Taiwan, owner faces jail term

A hippopotamus owned by a private ranch died in Taiwan on Monday after suffering two accidents -- once when it jumped from a moving truck and again when its container was dropped. The animal, named "A Ho" after the Chinese word for hippo Ho Ma, was found dead in its pond at a farm in the central city of Taichung. Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji has slammed the ranch owner for what he described as carelessness in transporting the animal. The government is considering prosecuting the owner after a post-mortem to determine the exact cause of death. He could face a jail term of up to a year under an animal protection law. "The city government has asked prosecutors to look into the case," Chen Ming-hui, a local official, told AFP, adding that the ranch has been ordered to make a plan to improve the management of the rest of the animals there. The initial result of the autopsy performed in Taipei Zoo in the north linked the tragedy to the first fall, which crushed the beast's diaphragm. That accident happened last Friday when the panicked hippo jumped from the truck in which it was being transported, breaking a leg. Television footage showed the enormous animal lying on the road -- where it remained for several hours -- with white fluid oozing from its eyes. Then, when the hippo was being taken back to the farm for treatment of its injuries, the cable on a hoist broke and its container crashed to the ground from a height of two metres (6.5 feet). "The animal was not properly protected during the transportation process, leading to its injuries. What's worse, it had not received due medical treatment the last two days," said Chu Tseng-hung, the head of the non-profit Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan. A Ho was a star attraction at its ranch and even appeared in a popular television soap opera several years ago.