The Toronto Zoo family is growing this summer.
The zoo announced on Tuesday that Kindia, its 20-year-old female pygmy hippopotamus, is pregnant.
The calf is expected to be born in late July, the zoo said.
“Caring for a pregnant pygmy hippo comes with both hope and caution,” the zoo said in a post on Instagram, calling it a “hippo-tastic update.”
“Our dedicated Wildlife Care and Health teams are closely monitoring her through behavioural observations and ultrasounds, and are ready to support her every step of the way.”
The zoo said Kindia was introduced to a 31-year-old male pygmy named Harvey in January.
“That was a planned interaction with the species survival plan group that recommended it. And of course, now we’re seeing the fruits of that introduction, which is, of course, a baby that we’re expecting this summer,” said Marc Brandon, the wildlife care manager at the Toronto Zoo.
He is referring to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Pygmy Hippo Species Survival Plan, which works to manage the population of the animal in human care and ensure they are paired on genetics, health and long-term sustainability.
Brandon told CP24 on Tuesday night that Kindia is doing very well. He noted that the baby is expected to be about 10 to 14 pounds at birth.
“They grow real fast,” Brandon said. “They’re a lot of fun as well. It’s fun to watch them interact with mom. They can get quite pesky quite quick and of course, they’re really entertaining to see as they kind of experience new and novel things for the first time.”
The calf will be Kindia’s second baby. In 2018, She gave birth to Penelope, who is now at John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Pygmy hippos, which are native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, are considered endangered, with fewer than 3,000 that remain in the wild.
“There is a lot of illegal poaching, and of course, habitat loss. That is part of the main reason for their low numbers. And so it’s really important to be able to both educate people about them as well as have a greater understanding of them so we can help their wild counterparts,” Brandon said.
“We are excited. There’s a lot of interest and opportunity. But at the same time, it’s just so exciting to be able to contribute to the species as a whole,” he added.
The public should keep an eye on Toronto Zoo’s social media for updates, including possibly picking the baby pygmy hippo’s name, Brandon said.
When asked if he’s expecting the new calf to go viral online like Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippo in Thailand, Brandon said each baby has their own personality.
“I don’t know that we’re expecting kind of the same outcome in terms of personality, like we’ve seen gone viral, but we might. We’ll see,” he said.
