A healthy 9-pound female pygmy hippo was
born at the Louisville Zoo sometime between 6:00 p.m. December 25
and 8:00 a.m. December 26. This is the second birth of this species
at the Louisville Zoo.
There are only 50 pygmy hippos in 22
locations in North America and births are rare. The gestation period
for pygmy hippos is from 184 to 204 days.
Mother Tracy is being attentive to the calf
and nursing began soon after the birth. Looking just like a
miniature version of mom, the baby is rapidly bulking up, gaining a
pound a day.
Father Maji Kitoto in a nearby stall is
interested in the proceedings but otherwise not involved at this
stage. This is the second birth for the pair. Their first offspring,
a female named Kibibi, was born in May 2005 and is currently sharing
a stall and indoor pool with dad.
Personality: She is
brave and adventurous, even swimming by herself, without
her mom by her side. But, she can still be found
following in her mother’s footsteps quite often.
Food: She only
nibbles, but her favorite solid food items are lettuce
and grapes
