It’s a boy! The San Diego Zoo announces the successful birth of a pygmy hippo.
Last week Friday, the San Diego Zoo announced the birth of a pygmy hippopotamus and it’s absolutely adorable! This is the first successful birth in the zoo in over 30 years. Mabel, the 4-year-old hippo, gave birth to the calf in April. However, the zoo waited to announce it publicly on Endangered Species Day as the baby boy is has been confirmed as healthy.
While he hasn’t been named yet, he’s already meeting important milestones. He is able to go underwater, walk, jump, and nibble on hay—and his mom. He also weighs 25 pounds, which is a good jump from the tiny 12 pounds he weighed at birth.
In this post on the zoo’s Instagram, you can him diving in and out of the water exuding playful energy. It’s the sweet content we need during these uncertain times.
Pygmy hippos are incredibly rare and have been listed as an endangered species with an estimated 3,000 that remain living in the wild. These smaller cousins of the Nile Hippo can be found living in rivers and streams in forests in West Africa, according to the zoo. But, the species is threatened by farming, hunting, deforestation, and human establishment in their habitat.
You can watch the sweet creatures splashing about on the zoos live webcam and you can make donations on their site that will go towards conserving them and keeping them fed on a diet of greens, hay and pellets.
Features Image: San Diego Zoo