Cincinnati Zoo names prematurely born hippo—Fiona

A baby hippo born prematurely at the Cincinnati Zoo has a name—it's Fiona (fee-OH'-nuh).

The zoo's mammal curator Christina Gorsuch says members of the team giving the week-old female calf 24-hour care thought the name that means "fair" was a perfect fit for the "fair little girl."

The zoo says 17-year-old Bibi gave birth six weeks early Jan. 24 to the first Nile hippo born there in 75 years.

Staffers have been working to help her grow, get stronger and learn to nurse on her own. They keep her close enough to her parents so they can hear and smell each other.

Gorsuch says Fiona still has a long way to go and isn't "out of the woods yet."

The zoo is providing updates on its website.

© 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Cincinnati Zoo names prematurely born hippo—Fiona (2017, January 31) retrieved 11 May 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2017-01-cincinnati-zoo-prematurely-born-hippofiona.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Cincinnati Zoo says premature hippo calf shows progress

4 shares

Feedback to editors