Sam Amico
In the event that you really did want a hippopotamus for Christmas, as the famous 1950s song suggested, then fear not. The Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia delivered.
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Better yet, it wasn’t just any old hippo. It was actually a pygmy hippopotamus, born on Dec. 6, according to a press release from the zoo.
The pygmy hippo — who arrived courtesy of parents Iris and Corwin — had yet to be named a day as of Dec .22.
Meet The New Pygmy Hippopotamus!
“Iris is an experienced mother and very caring of her baby,” the zoo announced. “The calf has been nursing and is growing quickly. Iris and her baby currently reside in a super cozy, hay-bedded enclosure that is off exhibit. This gives privacy to mom and baby while they bond. Soon, they will be moved into the indoor pool area that is visible to guests so the baby can start swimming.”
This particular pygmy is just the second ever born in Virginia, per the zoo. It will also become a rarity as an adult.
“Pygmy hippos are categorized as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature,’ the zoo relayed. “There are less than 2,500 adult pygmy hippos left in the wild in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.”
And now, there’s at least one pygmy baby hippo in the United States. All of which is really cool, especially to those who agree with the lyrics from Gayla Peevey’s lasting holiday hit, Hippopotamus for Christmas.
“I want a hippopotamus for Christmas,” the song begins. “Only a hippopotamus will do.
No crocodiles, or rhinoceroseses. I only like hippopotamuseses. … And hippopotamuses like me too.”
