Harry The Pygmy Hippo Warms Hearts As He Kisses Caregiver, Trots Around (PHOTOS)

This week, the Cango Wildlife Ranch in South Africa welcomed a royal newborn -- Prince Harry, the pygmy hippo, according to the South Africa Star.

After his mother refused to feed him, Harry had to be fed a 125 ml mixture of milk and water by Ranch employees every three hours. Afterwards, the Star reports, he is given a bath to keep his skin moist.

Pygmy hippos are currently listed as endangered, and only 3,000 of them are believed to be left in the wild. This is mostly due, ranch operations director Rob Hall told the Star, to the bushmeat trade industry.

Popular animal blog Zooborns reports that Harry's mother, Hilda, is not so great at the whole 'motherly skills' thing -- after she squashed some of her offspring in the past and is "lacking the skill of feeding her babies."

Hall told lifestyle magazine Female First naming the newborn after the Prince was meant to honor his work in Africa.

"We knew we wanted to call him something beginning with H and it suddenly struck us to name him Harry after the prince," Hall told the magazine. "Our team here loves Prince Harry as he shows true grit and is passionate about Africa. Our little guy is already proving he's made of similar stuff and is determined to make the most of life."

PHOTOS, courtesy of Miller and Maclean/Caters News:

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that Prince Harry is the Prince of Wales. His father, Prince Charles, is the Prince of Wales.

Want more adorable hippos? Check out the videos below:

Loading Slideshow

• 'Monifa', a Pygmy Hippopotamus female calf, is taken out of a bath at Taronga Zoo on November 7, 2008. (GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images)

• Five week old hippopotamus calf nicknamed 'Muddy' (L) is watched carefully by her mother Primrose (R) at her enclosure. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

• 'Monifa', a Pygmy Hippopotamus female calf, is given a bath at Taronga Zoo on November 7, 2008. (GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images)

• Kambiri, a baby pygmy hippo calf, explores her den at the Taronga Zoo on August 5, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

• Kambiri, a baby pygmy hippo calf, explores her den at the Taronga Zoo on August 5, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

• Kambiri, a baby pygmy hippo calf, explores her den with her mother Petre at the Taronga Zoo on August 5, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

• A female hippopotamus calf born in the Berlin zoo on August 9, 2010 swims behind her mother 'Kathi' in their enclosure in Berlin's zoological garden, August 24, 2010. (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

• A female hippopotamus calf born in the Berlin zoo on August 9, 2010 swims in her enclosure in Berlin's zoological garden, August 24, 2010. (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

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Comments

[anees a2001]

03:27 PM on 04/12/2012

asdassad

[amaboss52]

04:21 PM on 04/03/2012

OMG what a little cutey, thanks for the smile HP.

[Eagle Rock]

05:41 PM on 04/02/2012

Mother hippo sounds like the same as alot of the younger women of the day. Enjoys the sex and conception of making babies, but wants nothing to do with actually raising them.

[one1byke]

07:20 PM on 04/01/2012

.. that's a photoshop away from some interesting re-touchings... or reanimations.

[DoesNotComputer]

06:56 PM on 04/01/2012

Oh... my... GAWD, that's adorable.

[Kalifornicated]

01:08 PM on 04/01/2012

Gorgeous! and the baby hippo is also cute.

[krsims20]

12:41 PM on 04/01/2012

So cute! Just started working, so it's nice to see something like this when starting the day!

[1swimmom]

12:22 PM on 04/01/2012

Wait until he starts flinging his excrement around with his tail to mark his territory! Then it will really be something to watch!

[dewlady357]

12:04 PM on 04/01/2012

Well FINALLY Huffpo gives us a story we can all (except for Lech) enjoy...what a darling little animal. Awwwwwwwwww!

[Lechiffre]

11:26 AM on 04/01/2012

Ewwww !!! this is digusting .

[dewlady357]

12:03 PM on 04/01/2012

Lech..what do you mean, disgusting?? He is adorable. Shame on you!

[gx5000]

04:16 PM on 04/01/2012

Maybe he prefers fur on his kissers ?

[DandaPanda]

11:18 AM on 04/01/2012

Me want

[rltballer]

10:10 AM on 04/01/2012

Very cute.

[grayplace]

02:07 AM on 04/01/2012

Awwwwww !

[pattihr]

02:55 AM on 04/01/2012

OMG! He is so adorable! I want one!

[Marturia]

09:58 PM on 03/31/2012

He looks like a cute little alien creature.

[churchyfur]

09:28 PM on 03/31/2012

Somebody needs to tell these folks that Prince Harry is NOT the Prince of Wales. That would be his father, Prince Charles.

[dewlady357]

12:05 PM on 04/01/2012

oh who cares, churchyfur..geez, picky picky picky!

[cristiemayor]

12:55 PM on 04/01/2012

Well, actually, his formal title is His Royal Highness, Prince Henry of Wales. There can be multiple princes of wales. He calls himself Harry Whale sometimes, which is funny. I did want to point something out: the cute little endangered animals get a lot of attention because they photo well. But there are lots that are ugly, and there are many plants, too, that need to be preserved. Not to be a spoil-sport, though. This is one sweet little cute-ugly critter and I'd love to have one. I even have a nice pond where he could swim.

[pattihr]

07:38 AM on 04/09/2012

Well, actually, his formal title is His Royal Highness, Prince Henry of Wales. There can be multiple princes of wales. He calls himself Harry Whale sometimes, which is funny.
Well this story is abnout the litto not the prince of wales!

I did want to point something out: the cute little endangered animals get a lot of attention because they photo well.

Thats excately right! we like cute, pretty and adorable! this goes for humans too
Not fair maybe but that's just how it is.
I really love this little hippo! maybe they could start breeding them to be small?
Just kidding! but he really is cute. for a hippo especially. What a great job the person at the zoo who cares for him has!!