The Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia welcomed a baby pygmy hippopotamus earlier this month, officials announced.
The female calf was born on Dec. 9 to pygmy hippo parents Iris and Corwin. It's the zoo's third hippo birth in five years, and the third for the parents.
"Many keepers were present, and a few zoo guests even witnessed the miraculous birth. The baby’s natural instincts kicked in and she started moving around in the water immediately," a zoo spokesperson said in a statement. "Iris and the baby were shifted into a cozy, hay-bedded enclosure off-exhibit. This gives mom and baby privacy while they bond. Within time, they will move back to the indoor pool area so guests can see the baby. Iris is an experienced mother and very protective of her calf. The calf is nursing and growing quickly."
The calf now weighs 15 pounds. Fully grown pygmy hippos can weigh up to 600 pounds.
The zoo has not named the baby hippo yet and wants the public to weigh in. You can vote for your favorite name for the newborn on the zoo's website.
The four options are Poppy (a flower like her mom’s name), Juniper (an evergreen shrub to remember winter), Hammie Mae (a sweet and southern tie to Virginia ham) or Omi (means “water” in Yoruba, a language spoken in West Africa).
Pygmy hippos are an endangered West African species, and only 2,500 mature hippos remain in the wild, the zoo said. Pygmy hippos are distinctive from regular hippos because they do not live in groups and are usually solitary or in pairs.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Richmond.
