NEWS
Cincinnati Zoo Announces Hippo Pregnancy
Source: Cincinnati Zoo
Cincinnati’s famous hippo, Fiona, is about to be a big sister!
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden announced that Fiona’s mom, Bibi, is pregnant.
You guessed it – Fiona is going to be a big sister!! Bibi’s big bundle of joy is expected to arrive late summer 2022! https://t.co/IcUiKPE8qI pic.twitter.com/XnQzd8mEJo
— Cincinnati Zoo (@CincinnatiZoo) April 11, 2022
The zoo told fans that the staff are excited, but also a little nervous since Fiona was premature.
“The hippo team is excited and also nervous,” Eric Byrd, the manager of Cincinnati Zoo’s Africa team, said in a statement reported by People. “As most people know, Bibi’s first baby, Fiona, was born six weeks premature and wouldn’t have survived without the intervention of her human caregivers. We are hoping for a full-term pregnancy and will be doing everything we can to support Bibi.”
After Fiona’s father, Henry, passed away, the zoo brought in a male hippo named Tucker, but People reports the Ohio zoo wasn’t planning for Bibi and Tucker to become parents so soon.
“We weren’t planning to welcome a baby this soon, but nature found a way and ignored our calendar,” Christina Gorsuch, the Cincinnati Zoo’s director of animal care, said via People. “Most forms of contraception, in hippos or humans, are not 100% reliable. The dose that was previously effective for Bibi did not prevent pregnancy this time.”
Bibi and Tucker’s bundle of joy is expected to arrive late summer of 2022!
