Pygmy hippo makes huge splash on debut
WITH a flick of her ears, a waddle and a paddle, newborn pygmy hippo has made her very cute public debut.
The yet-to-be-named female calf, born on February 21 at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo weighing 5kg, showed off her puppy fat as she wandered around the enclosure with mum Kambiri yesterday.
With no more than 3000 pygmy hippos left in the wild in their native West Africa – making it an officially endangered species – zookeeper Renae Moss says “every calf is important”.
The rare newborn has quite an appetite. She is already eating solid foods, and has doubled her weight since birth.
“She’s putting on weight every day and she’s already got little rolls of fat around her neck,” Ms Moss said.
The little hippo is also showing her natural abilities in the pond.
“Pygmy hippos naturally spend a lot of time in the water, so the calf is already having a great time learning to swim next to mum and even practising holding her breath under the water,” Ms Moss said.