The San Diego Zoo just announced its most recent precious addition!
The zoo welcomed an adorable newborn pygmy hippo on November 11, much to the delight of zookeepers and the park's administration. The zoo says that it hasn't seen a pygmy hippo birth in over a decade.
For now, the baby is bonding with its mother, Francesca. The youngster's sex is unknown and a name has yet to be chosen, but we just know that he or she is going to enthrall zoo visitors in no time!
Pygmy hippos, like many species native to West Africa, are endangered. The area is prone to political unrest, animal trafficking, and the destruction of wildlife. The combination of these factors have endangered not just the pygmy hippo, but the northern and southern white rhinos. There is believed to be at least 2,000 pygmy hippos still left in the world, but the smallest specie of hippo remains on the brink of extinction.
At just over 12 lbs., the baby isn't big enough to be in the zoo's main hippo exhibit and swim in its pool, so this cutie will be spending time with Mom in a private barn until it's ready.
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Francesca & her tiny new addition are spending time in a private barn until the youngster is ready to make its public debut.
Posted by San Diego Zoo on Friday, November 13, 2015
