Baby Hippo Swims Into The World at the San Diego Zoo
A baby hippo was born yesterday! Animal care staff report that Funani and her calf are doing well.
Posted by San Diego Zoo on Tuesday, March 24, 2015
It doesn't get much cuter than this.
On Monday around 6:30 a.m., a baby hippo was born to mom Funani at the San Diego Zoo in California. Although the sex and name of the hippo have not yet been determined, San Diego Zoo's Jenny Mehlow told NBC on Tuesday that the calf is happy and healthy and has already nursed several times.
Baby hippo update: Staff have not been able to determine if it's male or female, but the calf is nursing several times a day, which is a good sign.
Posted by San Diego Zoo on Wednesday, March 25, 2015
This is the fifth calf 30-year-old Funani has raised at the zoo, and the 11th calf she's given birth to since 1989, the zoo explained in a Facebook comment. But before you buy a plane ticket to San Diego, be warned: You may have to wait a while to actually see the zoo's latest addition.
“If people come out to view the baby, patience will be rewarded,” San Diego Zoo Senior Keeper John Michel told NBC. “Guests may have to wait sometimes as long as half an hour, but the calf will wake up and start moving to deeper water, and mom will start to push it back up to shallow water.”
The zoo explained "Funani is very protective and often keeps her calf hidden."
San Diego Zoo Global promotes conservation efforts worldwide through its three facilities: the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. According to the group’s wesbite, it has helped reintroduce “33 species back into the wild including: mountain yellow-legged frogs, 5 species of reptiles, 17 species of birds, and 10 species of mammals.”
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