Pygmy hippopotamuses have been popular subjects lately thanks to the viral success of Thailand’s Moo Deng. Now, North America will be welcoming its own pygmy hippo calf in just a couple of months.
On Mother’s Day, the Toronto Zoo shared an update on Kindia, its pregnant pygmy hippo, confirming that the 20-year-old expectant mother is doing well and remains on track to welcome her second calf in late July. The zoo does not know the sex of the calf.
For zoo visitors, the upcoming birth is adorable and exciting news. But for conservationists, it represents a carefully coordinated effort to help protect one of the world’s rarest large mammals and a species that is disappearing from its native habitat in West Africa.
Inside Kindia’s Pygmy Hippo Pregnancy at the Toronto Zoo
Behind the scenes at the zoo’s African Rainforest Pavilion, veterinarians recently performed an ultrasound to monitor the pregnancy. According to zoo staff, Kindia willingly participates in her procedures thanks to positive reinforcement training, which teaches the zoo animals to voluntarily assist with their own medical care.
According to the zoo, the animals participate in weight checks, physical exams, and blood draws. The positive reinforcement reduces stress for the animal, and allows the veterinarians to monitor their health.
This is also not Kindia’s first rodeo. She previously gave birth to a calf named Penelope in 2018, who now lives at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The father of the expected calf is Harvey, a 31-year-old hippo introduced to Kindia in January through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Pygmy Hippo Species Survival Plan — a breeding initiative focused on genetics, long-term health, and population sustainability.
Read More: The First Asian Elephant Calf Is Born After a 25-Year Wait at the Smithsonian National Zoo
What Makes Pygmy Hippos So Unique?
Often overshadowed by their much larger cousins, pygmy hippos are one of Africa’s most mysterious mammals. While common hippos spend much of their time in open rivers, pygmy hippos are smaller, more solitary, and adapted to dense forest habitats.
According to the Toronto Zoo, after the gestation period of 180 to 210 days, mothers hide their newborn calves for several weeks to shield them from predators and harsh environmental conditions. Young pygmy hippos then grow quickly, packing on roughly a pound per day. Within five months, a calf can weigh ten times its birth weight.
With lifespans of 30 to 50 years, every new pygmy hippo birth is a major conservation win.
Why Pygmy Hippo Conservation Matters
The excitement surrounding Kindia’s pregnancy comes alongside a sobering reminder: native to only the Upper Guinean forests of West Africa, pygmy hippos have lost an estimated 75 percent of their natural habitat and are currently listed on the IUCN Red List.
Today, the species mainly survives in seven fragmented regions across Africa, with scientists estimating that only around 2,000 remain in the wild, as noted by Endangered Species International.
Habitat destruction from logging, mining, farming, and agricultural expansion continues to shrink their forest homes. As habitats become increasingly fragmented, pygmy hippos are pushed into closer contact with humans, increasing the risk of hunting and disturbance.
If all goes according to plan, Toronto Zoo’s newest calf won’t just be another cute baby animal story. It will be part of a much larger effort to ensure pygmy hippos still exist for future generations to see.
“Conservation efforts for endangered species has no boundaries and the more we work together internationally helps improve our chances of saving incredible animals like the pygmy hippo,” concluded Maria Franke, Curator of Mammals at the Toronto Zoo, in a press release from 2018.
Read More: Rare White Bison Calf Born At Iowa Wildlife Refuge
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- This article references information from the Toronto Zoo: Toronto Zoo Welcomes Birth of Endangered Pygmy Hippopotamus Calf
- This article references information from the Toronto Zoo: Pygmy Hippopotamus
- This article references information from Endangered Species International: The pygmy hippopotamus: the largely forgotten and smallest hippo in peril
