Toronto got its own Moo Deng as the Toronto Zoo has announced the birth of a female pygmy hippo calf to 20-year-old Kindia. The birth took place on Sunday morning and the calf took her first steps within minutes of her birth. It is Kindia's third calf. The zoo said the public can't see the calf yet as she needs time to bond with her mother. The survival rate of calves can be challenging.
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Dolf DeJong, the zoo's CEO, said in a statement that the birth is especially exciting because pygmy hippos are endangered amid habitat loss from logging and human settlements, CBC reported. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says only about 2,000 to 3,000 pygmy hippos are believed to remain in the wild.
Kindia became pregnant after she was introduced to a 31-year-old male pygmy hippo named Harvey for eight days in January. She started showing signs of labor at around 8.15 am last Sunday and around four hours later, the calf’s feet emerged and after 1.5 hours of active labor, Kindia successfully gave birth to the baby pygmy hippo. The calf was seen nursing 4.5 hours after birth. The calf has not been named yet.
“Kindia successfully raised her daughter Penelope in 2018, and calf survival for this species can be challenging. Our team will continue to closely monitor both mom and calf around the clock during these important first days to ensure they continue to progress well together," the zoo authorities said.
Moo Deng, the female pygmy hippo residing at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, became a global celebrity just two months after her birth in 2024 because of her expressions and antics. She recently turned two in July and the zoo threw a three-day festival on her birthday.
