WPBN: A zoo in Virginia is celebrating the arrival of a pygmy hippo that was born just before Christmas. The pygmy hippo is really cute.
Iris and Corwin, the parents of the baby hippo, came into the world on December 9 at the Metro Richmond Zoo. The baby hippo is a female and has not yet been given a name. Within a span of less than five years, she is their third female calf. According to the zoo, Iris was beaming with happiness on Christmas morning.
“Most people don’t get a hippopotamus for Christmas at all, so we feel lucky to have received two over the years,” the zoological institution stated. On December 6, 2022, Iris and Corwin welcomed their first calf into the world.
According to officials at the zoo, Iris gave birth to her most recent baby after a gestation period of seven months. It was in an indoor pool that she gave delivery.
“The baby’s natural instincts kicked in, and she started moving around in the water immediately,” the zoo reported on its website. “Underwater, she began to explore her surroundings.”
At this time, the mother and newborn are being housed in a separate enclosure that is not open to the public in order to provide them with privacy while they are bonding.
“Iris is an experienced mother and very protective of her calf,” according to the zoo. “The calf is nursing and growing quickly.”
The young pygmy hippo was weighed when she was only five days born, and the zoo reported that she appeared to be in good health, weighing fifteen pounds. At her full maturity, she might weigh up to 600 pounds.
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Because to her birth, the species, which is in risk of extinction, will be preserved.
It is estimated that there are less than 2,500 mature pygmy hippos left in the wild, as stated by the zoo. The species is indigenous to the rivers and wetlands of West Africa, where it is endangered due to the spread of poaching and the destruction of its natural habitat.
After they reached maturity, Iris’ two previous calves were relocated to different zoological institutions “to live with future mates and continue contributing to the conservation of their species,” according to the zoo. Pygmy hippos do not appear to dwell in groups.
The zoo reports that residents of this species can live for up to 55 years and that they are nocturnal.
With the help of a zookeeper, a newborn baby hippo named Moo Deng from Thailand became a worldwide phenomenon earlier this year. The zookeeper began posting pictures of her most adorable moments on various social media platforms.
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