A movie star with her own fan club and web page, she loves Rooibos tea and has several suitors.

Jessica the Hippo, the world famous hippo. Jessica ‘lives’ in the river of Hoedspruit – South Africa and has been raised by her owners Tonie and Shirley Joubert if it was there own child. The Joubert family took care of the animal whilst her mother was found exhausted at the border of the Kruger Park. The hippo was a mere 16kg when she was found a few hours old on the banks of the Blyde River, near Hoedspruit, with her umbilical cord still attached. Frail and weak, she could not stand up. With a background as a ranger Tonie Joubert knew exactly what he needed to do to get Jessica vital again with success. Since her rescue in 2000, Jessica grew from strength to strength, and today interacts with wild hippos in the river, as well as the Joubert family and their dogs, never wanting to miss her treat time. Treat time involves a snack with two bottles of tea and a back rub. Visitors are welcome to join for a small fee and be part of Jessica’s treat time – an experience which has amazed many of our volunteers who have completed placements in the Hoedspruit area. 

Jessica has become quite the celebrity, featuring in many radio and television shows and the news. With hippo being a social species, Jessica prefers company over being left alone and she revels in all the attention! With Jessica having adopted people as her own family, and vice versa, her story is one of compassionate conservation, where the decision to take on the responsibility of saving a distressed wild animal proved positive for both Jessica and her caregivers. Because of this decision, visitors have been able to experience close, peaceful and endearing encounters with an animal who usually has the reputation of being the most dangerous mammal in Africa. Visitors are thoroughly briefed and tours are conducted with their safety as a priority, along with respect for Jessica’s comfort zone.

Though Jessica is free wherever she would like to go, again and again she chooses her favorite spot on the sidewalk of the house in Hoedspruit. Jessica sleeps in the house of Tony and Shirly and is approachable for humans. She weighs about 1,2 ton and is without a doubt worlds most famous hippo. In recent years Jessica caught a lot of media attention and performed in more then 90 films and documentaries. Jessica essentially serves as an ambassador for her species. Due to her unique story and love of people, visitors can form a connection when they interact with her, learning about her kind, and then spreading positivity about hippos and their importance to others.