By Frances Bryce, April 11, 2019 — A local newspaper carried a story about a hippotamus who had gotten out of a wildlife preserve [and] was caught and returned to the Lion Country Safari. The danger for the hippotamus was the site was near the freeway in Orange County Calif, which put the animal and drivers in harm’s way.
A few days later the hippo (Bubbles) was again in the news as she had escaped a second time. A following was now writing and cheering Bubbles on. The keeper succeeded in capturing the animal. Now Bubbles was famous. This happened before every event was captured on a cell phone [in 1978]. This would have gone viral today.
The third time she escaped, I was in the office of the owner of the safari, telling him about the T-shirts I had made and encouraging him to carry the shirts in the gift shop, when the news came that Bubbles was again on the lam. The capture or the intended capture of Bubbles was a disaster, as she rolled down the hill and apparently was killed in the fall. [It was] a sad ending for Bubbles, who only wanted freedom. No sales were made for me that day, but the Hippos need love too. [I] Sold many shirts at the outdoor market that I attended.