One of Scotland’s most prominent and popular zoos have just welcomed into the world a baby pygmy hippo — and it is one of the cutest things that the world has ever seen, with no hint of hyperbole!
Pygmy hippos are currently an endangered species, which is what makes this birth extra special.
Pygmy hippos such as these are actually native to West Africa. However, their population numbers have been tragically falling due to issues such as human settlement in their natural habitat, deforestation, and excessive farming.
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This new calf is a ray of light for a lot of conservationists.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and Edinburgh Zoo’s staff have been “hippO-VER the moon” with their new arrival.
The tiny little hippo calf was brought into the world on Saturday 17 April to parents Otto and Gloria. And with the zoo opening back up to the public soon, the staff are keeping a close eye on her to make sure she is in the best possible health before she being seen by the public.
Zoo staff members have said that she is “growing stronger and more confident every day.”
Hoofstock team leader at Edinburgh Zoo, Jonny Appleyard, explained: “As she is still so young, we are limiting opening hours and numbers in our indoor viewing area to give the calf and mum Gloria some time to get used to visitors. The first 30 days are critical for her development, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on them both at this sensitive time and plan to name her in the coming weeks,” on the Zoo’s website .
Otto, the calf’s father, also celebrated turning 16 at the end of last year.
Hopefully it won’t be too long before the public can safely see her frolicking around with her family.
“Every visit helps care for our amazing animals, like our pygmy hippos, and protects threatened species in Scotland and across the world,” Mr. Appleyard went on to say.
I doubt we’ll see anything else quite as cute as this slice of loveliness for a while, and hopefully she continues to get stronger over the crucial early stages of her life.
Also, if you have any ideas for names, be sure to let us know in the comments!
