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El Salvador Violence: Beloved Hippo 'Gustavito' Killed at Zoo

Gustavito was covered with bruises and puncture wounds after being attacked, according to the zoo's director.
Image: Gustavito the hippo
Zoo personnel attend to Gustavito on Saturday. The animal was attacked by unknown assailants.El Salvador's Culture Ministry Handout / EPA

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador's widespread violence reached an unsuspected corner with the brutal and fatal beating of the national zoo's beloved hippopotamus Gustavito.

Even among a population numbed by a staggering human death toll due to gang violence in recent years, the animal's death late Sunday stirred outrage.

"They killed an animal that only entertained us."

Salvadorans mourned through social media and some left flowers at the gate of the zoo, which has been closed until further notice.

"Here we're used to seeing the dead every day," Martin Castillo, a street vendor in the capital's historic downtown, said Monday. "They kill us like flies, but this tops it all. They killed an animal that only entertained us."

Zoo director Vladan Henriquez said at a news conference that the hippo was covered with bruises and puncture wounds after apparently being attacked with metal bars, knives and rocks.

The attack occurred last week, sometime Tuesday night. But zookeepers did not discover the hippo's injuries until Thursday because he did not leave his pool. Gustavito died of the injuries late Sunday.

Justice Minister Mauricio Ramirez Landaverde said an investigation had been opened.

El Salvador is one of the world's most violent countries, recording 5,278 homicides last year, or an average of 14 people killed per day. Most of the killings have been blamed on powerful street gangs.

Related: El Salvador Records 1st Murder-Free Day in 2 Years

Gustavito was born and raised in Guatemala, but was brought to El Salvador 13 years ago.

"We're angry," said Carmen Rogel, who often brings her grandson to the zoo. "We didn't know they had killed Gustavito and were surprised when we arrived and the gate was closed."

Image: Gustavito the hippo
Zoo personnel attend to Gustavito on Saturday. The animal was attacked by unknown assailants.El Salvador's Culture Ministry Handout / EPA