Timothy, a hippo at the San Antonio Zoo, has been trying to catch the eye of one of the Queen City's biggest gems for years and although Fiona has remained aloof, it doesn't stop the ardent animal from trying.
Despite a hippo's habitat being more in the vein of sub-Saharan Africa, the persistent pachyderm purchased a small property of Scottish land for Fiona this Valentines Day, which also bestows her with the title of "Lady."
"We hope the kind acts and sweet words that Timothy showers Lady Fiona with will inspire humans to be kind and caring to each other as well during these difficult times," said Tim Morrow, president and CEO of the San Antonio Zoo. "Timothy never ceases to amaze us, his grandmother Uma or his fans around the world."
But Timothy did not stop there.
To announce the gift and title, the San Antonio Zoo enlisted the help of the Cincinnati Caledonian Pipes & Drums Band to regale Fiona with that most noble and romantic of instruments: the bagpipe.
The rotund Romeo has been attempting to win Fiona’s heart with public declarations of love since early 2018, when he took the campaign to Twitter. He's no stranger to turning to music; Timothy hired a mariachi band to serenade Fiona on her second birthday in 2019.
Despite his precociousness year after year, the Cincinnati Zoo hasn't announced any plans to match Fiona with a suitor just yet. Although most hippos reach reproductive maturity around age 3 -- and Fiona just celebrated her fourth birthday -- most do not seek a breeding partner for several more years. Captive hippos face the additional hurdle of having to wait for their caretakers to approve a mate — like families on "Game of Thrones," zoos are highly strategic about the matches they make.
But hey, the large semi-aquatic mammal heart wants what it wants.
