We have been anticipating the arrival of Fiona’s sweet hippo sibling and it is a precious little baby BOY! Cincinnati Zoo fans have had a special year watching the bloat of two extraordinary ladies become a family bloat of four.
What started as a potential April Fools joke turned out to be no joke at all. Keepers were surprised to see mama hippo Bibi pregnant at the beginning of April, a few months after Tucker’s arrival. Oh, and she was on birth control. This little baby was meant to be!
After several days of potential labor symptoms, labor was officially confirmed Wednesday, August 3. That night around 10p, a precious baby boy was born weighing twice as much as big sister, Fiona.
Fiona made headlines after a quick and scary entrance into the Cincinnati Zoo world. Overnight, mama to now two, Bibi, would prematurely deliver Fiona. With time against them, the keepers and doctors at the Zoo optimistically nursed Fiona to great health over several weeks. With such a worrisome delivery the first time around, all hands were on deck for Bibi’s second pregnancy.
With a good look at a confirmed gender, Cincinnati Zoo members and visitors can finally celebrate the baby boy hippo. As seen on the Zoo’s media accounts, Bibi and baby boy are off exhibit bonding where they’re anticipated to remain for a couple of weeks.
Name the Baby Boy!
Patiently waiting to get a firsthand glimpse of the bonding mother-son duo is a hard thing to do. In the meantime, YOU could name the sweet baby boy! The Cincinnati Zoo is welcoming all name suggestions on their website here. All you need is an email and a hippo-tastic name… have we mentioned baby boy was born on National Watermelon Day?! A hippo’s favorite treat!