I was supposed to be enjoying a relaxing beach break in Mombasa with Mrs Croc (my wife, for those unfamiliar with the family wildlife classifications).
But there was somewhere nearby I simply had to visit.
Fortunately, Mrs Croc was happy to come along. The giraffes made sure she had an adventure of her own.
Haller Park wasn’t always a wildlife sanctuary. It was once a limestone quarry, a landscape stripped bare by industry. Over the years, an extraordinary regeneration project had transformed it into a place of trees, ponds and wildlife.
I was fascinated. I wanted to see for myself whether they really could bring such a damaged landscape back to life. And they’d done a bloody good job.
Of course, it’s a managed sanctuary rather than untouched wilderness, but that doesn’t diminish what has been achieved. It’s a wonderful example of what can happen when people put genuine effort into restoring the environment.
But my favourite moment came courtesy of a hippo.
There it was, making its way through the green water with a small wading bird perched comfortably on its back. A perfectly good ferry service, apparently operating without tickets, timetables or any concern for passenger capacity.
The hippo carried on. The bird enjoyed its ride. And I stood watching, thoroughly entertained.
I’d come to see whether regeneration really worked. Instead, I found myself watching a bird hitch a lift across a pond on the back of a hippopotamus.
A quarry given a second life. A hippo with an unofficial ferry service.
Not a bad result for a day I was supposed to spend on the beach.