Baby Nile Hippo Born at Walt Disney World

Disney Parks Blog announced another new member to the family at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park.  We are so excited about the birth of a new baby Nile hippopotamus.  The baby hippo was born around 10 PM on January 13th, 2018.  Mother, Tuma, and baby are being given the space and time that they need in order to bond and ensure that they are both comfortable.  This means that we won’t know the gender and official weight for a while, but it will be worth the wait.  A newborn hippo calf usually weighs somewhere between 60 to 110 pounds at birth!  This is the first baby hippo that has been born at Walt Disney World in 13 years, so it is an exciting time for the Disney family.

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Disney’s animal care experts undergo extensive training to care for babies that are born at the park.  This breeding was part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), a program with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.  Nile hippos are at risk for endangerment and this breeding is to help ensure that we keep these amazing animals around for many years to come.  Hopefully we will continue to learn more about this species and how we can also help them in the wild.

We aren’t sure yet when we can expect to see Tuma and her new calf, but we expect to see them at some point in the future while on Kilimanjaro Safaris.

What would you name the new hippo calf if you could pick?

Photo and Source Credit:  Disney Parks Blog