Fiona the baby hippo has captured the public’s attention since she was born six weeks prematurely at the Cincinnati Zoo in January of 2017. The zoo’s neonatal caregivers were first worried for her health, but with their intensive and dedicated care, she has grown from a small and fragile preemie into a strong and playful one year old.
This delightful collection of Baby Fiona clips shares some never-before-seen moments filmed by her zoo care team. From National Geographic:
Fiona belongs to the most abundant species of hippopotamus (the common hippo, Nile hippo, or large hippo.) The only other known species of hippos are the smaller pygmy hippos, which are endangered.
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, there are likely 115,000 to 130,000 wild common hippos in the world. When last assessed, their populations were relatively stable, but conservationists are concerned that climate change and habitat loss may impact their numbers in the future.
To get a better sense of how far young Fiona has come since her premature birth, see how small she was on the day she was born. At the time she was only 13.15 kilograms (29 pounds), well below the average 22 to 55 kilogram (50 to 120 pound) weight of a newborn Hippopotamus amphibius.
Watch more hippo videos: A hippo gets his teeth brushed, Baby Hippo Makes a Splash at the San Diego Zoo, and The Melbourne Zooβs new baby Pygmy Hippo swims with mum.
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