After Long Road Trip, D.C. Hippo in His New Milwaukee Home

A crated Happy the hippo traveled 18 hours to a Milwaukee zoo. (Courtesy Of National Zoological Park)

But he'll do anything for food, and that includes wake up early. So they got him up before sunrise, coaxed him into the specially built 10,000-pound crate made of steel and wood, and covered it with a gray tarp. His longtime keeper, J.T. Taylor, tried to soothe him, talking through the crate slats, and saying, " 'Just remember, I'm not doing this to you,' " Korpowski-Gallo said.

The crate was hoisted onto the flatbed with a 120-ton construction crane. For security reasons, there were no signs on the truck indicating that the cargo was a hippopotamus, the zoo said.

The last thing you need is a hijacked hippo.

The 800-mile trip went well, zoo officials said, although they couldn't let Happy out to use the restroom. The route took the group out on the Beltway and northbound on Interstate 270. Two keepers and a veterinarian went along in a chase car in case of trouble. And zoos along the way were alerted in case of an emergency.

There was a pause of a few hours at an African safari wildlife park near Sandusky, Ohio, where Happy was hosed down, officials said. He had hay and produce in the crate to munch on, but the zoo said it was not clear if he ate anything.

"He was in good spirits when he arrived," said Milwaukee zoo spokeswoman Jennifer Diliberti.

"He started eating shortly after he was unloaded," she said. The meal included hay, kale and cantaloupe. "He appeared to be in good shape."

For now, she said, he's still under wraps, behind a curtain that covers the window of his new enclosure. Once Milwakee zoo officials determine that he's healthy, the curtain will come down, and he'll go on display.

Diliberti said she can't wait to see Happy. "Just from his pictures," she said, "he looks beautiful."