Artis, short for Natura Artis Magistra, is a zoo in the center of Amsterdam. It is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and one of the oldest zoos of mainland Europe. As a child I have visited this zoo many times, always rushing to get to my favorite attraction as fast as I could: Tanja, the hippo (died 25th December 2009, at the age of 49).
While searching on the internet for hippos in the Netherlands, I came across some old pictures of hippos in Artis, made in 1913. I could trace them back to a site called:
Memory of the Netherlands. An online image database on any subject imaginable. I tried to find more information, but could not find anything. Fortunately,
Artis happens to have a wonderful website, so I decided to try my luck, and send them a message. A few days later I received a very kind reply from the Registrar Artis, with all the information she could find in the zoo's archives. I could not be happier. Dear Jacqueline, thank you very much for taking the time and effort to provide me with all the information. I am very proud to be able to share it through my blog with many hippopotamus-enthusiasts around the world. I am sure they will enjoy it as much as I have.
Hippopotamus: Betsy 2 with calf (born November 27th 1912), Amsterdam zoo Artis, 1913.
Scan of the weekly report, by Mr. Kerbert, director of Artis at that time, where he mentioned its birth.
It lived for only a year and died on December 22nd 1913. It was the 7th calf of a hippopotamus couple called Betsy 2 and Cyrus. It was the 22nd hippo calf born in Artis, being the 27th hippo of the Artis Collection.
Information Mother: On March 29th 1898, Betsy 2 came to Artis as a young hippo, only 1,5 years old (born October 1st 1896). She lived the rest of her life in Artis, died January 1940 at the age of 43 years and 3 months.
Information Father: Cyrus came to Artis one year later on May 16th 1899, as a partner for Betsy 2. He was 3 years old (born March 6th 1896). He too lived the rest of his life in Artis, died May 6th 1922 at the age of 26 years and 2 months.
The first calf of Betsy 2 and Cyrus was born on May 13th 1904. They had 11 calves together, but only 1 survived. Her name was Bibi 1, she died December 1st 1944 at the age of 26 years and 4 months.
After Cyrus passed away, 9 year old Mtoto (born 1913) was brought to Artis on September 18th 1922. He liked Betsy 2 and her daughter Bibi very much, and had many calves with both of them.
More information can be found in the Amsterdam City Archives.
Jacqueline Bultstra - Registrar Artis, August 21st 2015
A few months ago, my dear friend Sheila shared on FB a hippo pendant, being for sale on E-Bay. When I saw it, I quickly snatched it up. The first time ever, I had seen a "Hippo-Butt-Pendant" or as it was described more elegantly on E-Bay: sterling silver designer hippopotamus rear pendant. A few weeks ago, I was wearing it, when meeting some friends for lunch. It is a nice conversation starter: "Did you see my new hippo butt?" Of course, it made everybody laugh. Then one of my friends asked: "What kind of jewelry designer comes up with the idea to design a hippo butt in the first place...?" I thought it was hilarious, as she seemed to be genuinely puzzled. To me it is beyond obvious: if you are a designer of anything hippo, and you want to have some fun... hippo butts are the answer (giving it a little more thought, I believe one can argue that hippo butts are the answer to a whole load of questions... ;-).
