Now Reading: Toronto Zoo gets baby pygmy hippo calf, takes first steps within minutes
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Toronto Zoo gets baby pygmy hippo calf, takes first steps within minutes
Toronto Zoo gets baby pygmy hippo calf, takes first steps within minutes
The Toronto Zoo has announced the birth of a female pygmy hippo calf, born on Sunday morning to 20-year-old mother Kindia. The calf took her first steps within minutes of birth and…
The Story in Brief
The Toronto Zoo has announced the birth of a female pygmy hippo calf, born on Sunday morning to 20-year-old mother Kindia. The calf took her first steps within minutes of birth and was seen nursing 4.5 hours later. It is Kindia's third calf. The public cannot see the calf yet as she needs time to bond with her mother, the zoo said.
The birth is exciting because pygmy hippos are endangered due to habitat loss from logging and human settlements. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates only 2,000 to 3,000 pygmy hippos remain in the wild. The calf's father is 31-year-old Harvey, who was paired with Kindia for eight days in January. The calf has not been named yet. The calf is being compared to Moo Deng, the Thai pygmy hippo who became a global celebrity in 2024.
The Indian Opinion
The 'Moo Deng' tag applied to every new pygmy hippo calf is getting predictable. Toronto’s calf is a real conservation success for an endangered species, not a viral gimmick. The numbers that matter: only 2,000 to 3,000 pygmy hippos remain in the wild. The test is whether this calf will be named and used to spotlight habitat loss, or just become another one-off meme.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
