Hippos, a Mongoose and Me: Tales of rescue and survival in the wilds of Africa

by Karen Paolillo

In this sequel to the popular A Hippo Love Story, author Karen Paolillo takes us deeper into her courageous but perilous life among Africa’s wildlife. Hippos, a Mongoose and Me is a collection of vivid stories reflecting the decades that Karen has lived and worked in the wilds of southeast Zimbabwe. The tales encompass a wide variety of animals and experiences, including Karen’s extraordinary affinity with hippos, life with her beloved mongoose, characterful baboons and rescued birds, close encounters with lions and an injured buffalo, and her heart-stopping flight from an enraged elephant. To add to the drama, Karen and her husband Jean-Roger must face off against the drumbeat of political subterfuge and poaching of wildlife, sometimes at great personal risk. Inspiring, surprising and sometimes sad, this heartfelt anthology is testament to the courage and resilience of its intrepid author. Sales Moving stories of great courage in the face of increasing threat to Africa’s wildlife. Heart-warming tales in the popular genres of animal-human interaction and wildlife rescue. A sequel to the best-selling A Hippo Love Story by the same author. Colour photographs of the cast of characters featured in the book.

201 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a supporter of The Turgwe Hippo Trust I was excited to read Karen Paolillo’s latest book( A Hippo Love Story was fantastic and is more a full memoir ). I was not disappointed. I love the short story format. Karen not only talks about hippos and Squiggle the mongoose, but also this unique and wonderful world of living amongst lions, elephants, crocodiles, baboons and many other animals in Zimbabwe . Karen, JeanRoger and all who work together to save these magnificent creatures are absolute heroes. Purchase this book and you’ll be helping The Turgwe Hippo Trust. 🦛

[Veronica Gregson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book

Karen your book was such an enjoyable and at times so sad a read. You, Jean and your band of carers are doing such a wonderful service for all the wildlife, especially in view of all the years of land grabs, poaching and so on. You are also passing on your love of wildlife to the locals, who hopefully will appreciate the impact and importance of protecting nature in all its forms. I left 43 years ago but Africa will always be my home.

[Jane Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favourite tags. I found her relationship wth hippos interesting, they would not be on my list of "friendly" animals. My the end of the book I felt I'd not learnt anything new, feeding the animals daily worried me and the simple writing irritated me. If you're looking for a simple feel good story about wild animals then maybe this is for you. But not for me