Move over, Moo Deng: A new baby pygmy hippo has arrived in Virginia just in time for Christmas!
The popularity of pygmy hippos surged this summer with the arrival of Moo Deng in Thailand, who became an internet sensation with millions of views on social media.
Watch out, Moo Deng! A new baby hippo has entered the world just in time for the holidays, and she’s quickly becoming a social media star.
The Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia proudly announced the birth of a baby pygmy hippopotamus on December 9. Just five days after her birth, she weighed about 15 pounds, as stated in a news release.
The adorable newborn is the offspring of Metro Richmond Zoo’s hippos, Iris and Corwin, marking their third calf in just over four years. This is also the second holiday season that Iris and Corwin have welcomed a baby.
What makes this birth especially remarkable is that it was Iris’ first time giving birth in water. While typical hippos generally give birth in water, pygmy hippos can also do so on land.
Iris delivered her baby in the indoor pool of their habitat, with keepers and a select few guests present to witness this special moment. According to the news release, the baby instinctively began to kick and swim shortly after her arrival.
After giving birth, Iris and her calf were moved to a cozy hay-bedded area outside of the zoo’s usual exhibit to bond. They are expected to return to the exhibit shortly.
What’s fueling the hippo excitement?
The buzz surrounding this new pygmy hippo comes on the heels of a summer of adoration for Moo Deng, who was born at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand in July. Videos showing her playfully yelling at her keepers, enjoying baths, and lounging in water buckets have achieved viral status across social media.
In a fun twist, Moo Deng even made headlines in November when she participated in a mock U.S. 2024 presidential election. When offered two food baskets labeled with the names of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, she chose to munch on Trump’s basket.
Not long after Moo Deng’s fame, another female pygmy, named Haggis, stole the limelight after being born in October at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Edinburgh Zoo.
Pygmy hippos, often seen as the smaller relatives of common hippos, have been classified as endangered since 2016. They are approximately half the size of their larger counterparts and weigh less than a quarter of what an adult common hippo typically weighs. Native to West Africa, pygmy hippos have an average lifespan of 27 years.
