The Toronto Zoo has announced the birth of a female pygmy hippo calf.
Kindia, the zoo’s 20-year-old pygmy hippo, started showing signs of labor at around 8.15am last Sunday, it said. 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.
Within 15 minutes of birth, the calf began trying to stand and was “confidently navigating the space” a few hours later, the zoo said, adding that the calf was seen nursing approximately 4.5 hours after birth.
The zoo has not identified the calf yet, but said that it is doing well alongside its mother. According to the zoo, the newborn is Kindia’s third calf. Kindia became pregnant after she was introduced to a 31-year-old male pygmy hippo named Harvey for eight days in January.
“This wonderful news comes with both hope and caution,” the zoo said. “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.”
Noting the species’ endangered status on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list, Dolf DeJong, the Toronto Zoo’s CEO, said: “Welcoming a pygmy hippo calf is far more than a celebration of new life. Pygmy hippos are endangered, and their wild populations continue to decline due to habitat loss and human pressures.
“This birth represents the critical role modern accredited zoos play in conservation, scientific collaboration, and maintaining healthy populations that contribute to the long-term survival of the species.”
Only approximately 2,000 to 3,000 pygmy hippos are believed to remain in the wild.
With adult pygmy hippos weighing anywhere from 330lb to 660lb and standing around 2.5ft tall, the species are native to the forests and swamps of west Africa. In recent decades however, pygmy hippos have faced growing threats to their habitat including logging, mining, farming activities as well as human settlement.
