Story By: Maja Mishevksa, Sub Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
Video Credit: CEN/@buinzoo
This is the moment a baby Pygmy hippo follows its mum around the enclosure before enjoying its first bath in the pond – while other footage shows the moment the cute calf was born in the zoo.
The pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis) was born at Buin Zoo in the central Chilean capital Santiago and is said to be the fourth successful birth at the animal park in less than eight years.
The calf, called Bernardina, is female and weighed 7.2 kilogrammes at birth.
Her mum Coca gave birth to her during the seventh month of pregnancy, according to the zoo.
Video Credit: CEN/@buinzoo
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has categorised the pygmy hippopotamus as ‘endangered’ and Bernardina is said to be one of 2,500 examples living around the world.
The zoo posted video clips of the calf being born and getting to know its surroundings, adding that she is healthy and breastfeeding well.
At the moment, specialists are considering to use Bernardina in a breeding programme at another zoo in the future.
Her mum Coca arrived at the Chilean zoo from the Argentine capital Buenos Aires in August 2003.
Bernardina’s dad Hipolito arrived at Buin Zoo in April 2006 from the Belgian capital Brussels.
The pygmy hippopotamus differs from common hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius) in size and weight as well the fact that they spend much less time out of the water than their larger counterparts.
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