Believe it or not, the U.S. Postal Service once delivered a live hippopotamus—by mail. And yes, this actually happened, and it wasn’t a prank or a headline stunt.
In 1910, a young hippo named “Billy” was shipped from Arkansas to the Bronx Zoo in New York. He was a gift from a senator, and due to the lack of formal animal transport services, the post office stepped in. Billy was placed on a specially arranged rail car with postal workers assisting along the way. Back then, the postal service had fewer restrictions on live animal deliveries—and apparently, that included 600-pound mammals.
Luckily for Billy, he made it safely and lived a full life at the zoo. It’s safe to say that was the last time a hippo had a first-class ticket through the mail system.