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Johannesburg Zoo welcomes Pygmy Hippo calf to
his new home in the Highveld
Johannesburg Zoo welcomed 13 month old Pygmy Hippo calf
to his new home in Joburg in August 2011. The young
hippo is the offspring the zoo's first successfully
captive bred Pygmy Hippo, Naboo who was born in 2003. In
2006 Naboo was sent to Pretoria Zoo's conservation farm
in Makopane to be paired up with a thirty year old male
hippo and in May 2010 the pair gave birth to an infant
male.
This young hippo, who is the second
generation of Pygmy hippos born through the Johannesburg
Zoo's efforts, and has been moved into an enclosure next
to his grandparent's Raoul and Jellybean. Because
Pygmy's are a territorial species the calf will be kept
separate from them and enjoy a life as a bachelor. This
little hippo is an important addition to the zoo's
breeding programme and plans have already started to
find him a mate in preparation for when he becomes
sexually mature in a few years' time.
Click
here to read more about our new Pygmy Hippo's
arrival.
About our little hippo
Pygmy Hippo keeper Alice Masombuka, sheds more light
on caring for our new Pygmy Hippo in the following
interview:
Question: How much
does the new pygmy weigh?
Alice: He
weighs approximately 112kg compared to a fully grown
adult which weigh as much as 260kg.
Question: What is his personality like?
Alice: He is a happy little hippo who
is very laid back. He loves to have is back scratched.
Question: What is his favourite
food?
Alice: I am not sure yet. I
have tried different kinds of vegetables but he likes to
eat all of them.
Question: Does
he ever interact with his grandparents in the next door
enclosure?
Alice: Not very much.
Pygmy Hippos are solitary animals in their natural
environment so he does not mind living on his own.
Question: Is there any difference
between African Hippos and Pygmy Hippos? Which species
is easier to care for in the zoo?
Alice:
There is a big difference in temperament. Although both
hippo species can be territorial, the African Hippos see
humans as a threat and are more dangerous. We have to be
very careful when interacting with African Hippos. Pygmy
Hippos are much, much smaller and easy to handle and
interact with.
Pygmy Hippo
Information
 The
Pygmy Hippo (Choeropsis liberiensus), is a
threatened forest dwelling hippo species found in
forests and swamp habitats in Liberia, Sierra Leone,
Guinea and Ivory Coast. The pygmy hippo was previously
considered 'endangered' by the IUCN's Red Data list but
due to conservation efforts and breeding programmes in
zoos internationally their status has been changed to
'vulnerable'. It is thought that only 2000 animals are
left in both protected and un-protected areas of West
Africa. Factors affecting Pygmy Hippo populations in the
wild include deforestation, the bush meat trade, human
persecution and oil pollution.
Much like their
larger cousin, the African Hippo, Pygmy's are herbivores
which feed on aquatic plants and vegetation which has
fallen on the forest floor. In the wild these animals'
are solitary where males and females come together to
mate and females avoid each other by marking their
territory with dung heaps. This territorial behavior can
still be seen in captivity where hippos will chase their
keepers out of their enclosures.
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