It’s hip-hip hooray for lonely hippo
DUBLIN Zoo has identified a suitable companion for its lone hippo after her mate died in 2017.
She is expected to be introduced to her new pal in the coming months.
The annual inspection of the zoo last year noted that animals of social species at the popular attraction were all normally maintained in compatible social groups, with the exception of one lonely hippo.
A spokesman for Dublin Zoo has told the Irish
Mirror that further details in relation to the new arrival would be announced “in due course”.
The lonesome hippo was not the only animal at the zoo experiencing social problems last year, according to the inspectors’ report, as a number of male mangabey monkeys had been “ostracised” from their group.
OUTCAST
The rift between the outcast monkeys and the rest of their troop was so serious that the inspectors insisted that a new home must be found for them immediately, making this a condition of the zoo’s renewed licence.
“Further action to locate a suitable home at another licensed zoo for the male mangabeys which have been ostracised from the group must be taken,” the inspection report read.
At the beginning of last year, there were six male and five female mangabeys at Dublin Zoo. The search for a new location “must prioritise the individuals’ welfare”, the inspectors added.
Elsewhere in the zoo, inspectors had advised in 2022 that the animals in the African Savanna enclosure required outdoor shelters.
A zoo spokesman said: “A new shelter is currently being put in place and will be finished by the end of February, in line with a deadline extension granted to Dublin Zoo.”