Surprise! Cincinnati Zoo’s Bibi the hippo, mother of Fiona, is pregnant
After teasing the announcement on its social media channels, the Cincinatti Zoo and Botanical Garden revealed its resident hippo, Bibi, is pregnant and expecting her second baby.
Bibi’s first calf, Fiona, became something of an internet sensation after she was born six weeks premature.
In 2017 and 2018, videos documenting Fiona’s key milestones and shared on the Cincinatti Zoo’s YouTube account drew in tens of millions of views. Her first birthday got national press coverage.
“The hippo team is excited and also nervous,” Eric Byrd, manager of Cincinnati Zoo’s Africa team, said in a news release. “As most people know, Bibi’s first baby, Fiona, was born six weeks premature and wouldn’t have survived without the intervention of her human caregivers. We are hoping for a full-term pregnancy and will be doing everything we can to support Bibi.”
According to the zoo, experts there have started Bibi on hormone supplements and will perform regular ultrasounds to monitor the growth and health of the calf. The typical gestation period for a hippo is 243 days.
The zoo expects Bibi to deliver her second calf sometime in the late summer of 2022.
The development comes after the introduction of an 18-year-old male hippo, Tucker, in September of 2021. Bibi and Tucker apparently hit it off and soon had a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan Program. The group is responsible for managing the health and genetic diversity of the hippo population in North American zoos, according to the news release.
“We weren’t planning to welcome a baby this soon, but nature found a way and ignored our calendar,” said Cincinnati Zoo Director of Animal Care Christina Gorsuch. “Most forms of contraception, in hippos or humans, is not 100% reliable. The dose that was previously effective for Bibi did not prevent pregnancy this time.”
The Cincinnati Zoo said it will continue to post updates on Bibi and baby preparations in the coming months via its social media accounts.
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 1:06 PM.