TV viewers will witness the heartwarming moment when Scotland’s smallest hippo was born.
BBC Scotland documentary series Inside The Zoo captured behind-the-scenes footage when endangered pygmy hippo Amara was born this year.
The programme – on tomorrow at 8pm – will show the excitement among staff at the morale-boosting birth and the drama as they waited for the tiny new arrival to bond with its mother.
Edinburgh Zoo was still closed to visitors due to coronavirus restrictions when an ultrasound revealed resident female pygmy hippo Gloria was pregnant for the first time.
Gloria arrived in Edinburgh in 2015, from Marwell Zoo in Hampshire, to join resident male Otto as part of the European Breeding Programme for the species.
A camera crew followed zookeepers as they cared for Gloria and Scotland’s only pygmy hippo calf during its crucial first weeks. Keepers dubbed the calf “Spud” due to its cute appearance. It was later officially named Amara, meaning Grace.
