Tbilisi City Hall unveils sculpture of hippo that escaped from Tbilisi Zoo in 2015 flood

A sculpture of hippopotamus Begi, who escaped the Tbilisi Zoo during the June 13, 2015 flood in the capital, has been unveiled by Tbilisi City Hall in Mziuri Park, a popular recreational area in the city.

Commissioned from contemporary Georgian sculptor Erekle Tsuladze, the stainless steel monument has been produced using “modern technology”, the city authorities said, and comes following a competition for a sketch of the sculpture, announced in 2019.

The winning sketch was selected by a 12-member commission set up by the state body, and commemorates the hippopotamus that gained recognition from photographs of the flood published by international media.

In the photos, Begi was seen strolling the streets of the capital city following its escape as the Zoo was entirely flooded during the night of June 13, 2015

The flash flood turned into the city’s worst human and infrastructure disaster in decades, claiming lives of 21 Tbilisi citizens as well as numerous animals from the downtown Zoo, which lost half of its animal population.