A U.S. Zoo Gets a Hippopotamus for Christmas! Pygmy Hippo Born in December Makes Public Debut

Two pygmy hippos in Virginia celebrated Christmas with a new family member.

On Dec. 24., the Metro Richmond Zoo in Mosley, Va., announced on its website that it welcomed a baby pygmy hippo just two weeks before Christmas. The baby, a girl, was born on Dec. 9 to parents Iris and Corwin. It is their third calf in under five years.

The hippo couple's most recent newborn — who has yet to be named — isn't the first calf they have welcomed around the holidays.

"Most people don't get a hippopotamus for Christmas at all, so we feel lucky to have received two over the years," the zoo's announcement read.

Iris, the mother of the baby pygmy hippo, gave birth in an indoor pool around 4:50 p.m. on Dec. 9. The zoo stated in its release that the newborn began moving around the body of water immediately, and a few zoo guests saw the birth unfold.

Shortly after the birth, the zoo moved Iris and her newborn to a private "cozy" enclosure to give them room to bond. The zoo added that the mother-child duo will eventually return to the indoor pool area, which is visible to zoo guests. The Metro Richmond Zoo is the only place in Virginia where the public can visit hippos, the release noted.

The baby's neonatal exam five days after the birth revealed she weighed a "healthy" 15 pounds. The species can grow up to 600 pounds at full maturity, according to Metro Richmond Zoo.

The pygmy hippo, native to wet areas in West Africa, was declared an endangered species in 1993, when an estimated 2,000-2,500 individuals made up the species' population, according to Pygmy Hippo Conservation.

"Less than 2,500 mature individuals remain in the wild. This birth — like all of Iris' births — plays an important role in helping protect this rare and elusive species," the zoo's site read.

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The zoo stated that pygmy hippos don't live in groups. Thus, to preserve the species further, Iris' older children were transferred to other zoos and animal facilities "to live with future mates and continue contributing to the conservation of their species."