Gerri Helton

Bazil is a young hippopotamus who lives with his mother on the Kafue River in Zambia, Africa. Life is carefree for him; he learns to avoid the crocodiles and find the best grazing areas. His mother keeps him hidden from the other members of their pod so that he will be safe. But when Bazil turns two years old, everything changes. Hippo pods may only have one male, so Bazil must flee from his own father in order to get to safety. He manages to escape, finding himself at Mukambi Safari Lodge in Kafue National Park. From then on, every time Bazils father chases him, the young hippo runs to the lodge, knowing that the nearby humans will keep him safe. As the years go by, Bazil finds a new way of living with the humans at the lodge. But what will happen to him when he must finally face his father? In this childrens tale, based on a true story, a young hippopotamus named Bazil, running way from his father, finds shelter at a nearby safari lodge.