Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/hippo-birth-zoo/

World-famous hippo Fiona, who’s been hand-raised at the Cincinnati Zoo, now has a baby brother!

Her mother, Bibi, recently gave birth to a bouncy baby boy who weighed double more than Fiona when she was born.

“We’re just happy that the calf is healthy. The sex didn’t matter much to the hippo team, but it will be interesting to observe and compare the behavioral differences between a hand-raised girl and a mom-raised boy,” said Christina Gorsuch, Cincinnati Zoo’s director of animal care. “Will this calf be as comfortable with humans as Fiona is? Will he be less independent? Will he love cameras?”

Yes, this healthy boy who’s already inseparable from Bibi will be raised by his mom unlike Fiona. Fiona was born premature and severely underweight which was why it was the zoo staff who took over parental responsibilities for her.

Calling themselves #Team Fiona, the guys carefully researched what and how to feed the premature hippo and take care of her needs 24/7. It took two years of TLC to help Fiona pass the critical stage of her development, but #Team Fiona succeeded with Fiona celebrating her 5th birthday last January.

And just weeks after the new baby was born and letting him spend more time with his mother, Bibi, Fiona, and her little brother are starting to bond together. Bibi is understandably very protective of her newborn, but Fiona is learning a lot from her mom how to treat the new tiny member of their family.

Everyone is so excited about Bibi’s bigger family with thousands of people participating online to come up with a name for Fiona’s baby brother.

And guess what name Cincinnati zoo has chosen for their new hippo star? Fritz!

For everyone who wants to read more news and updates about this wonderful hippo family, you can easily check them out at the zoo’s Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and other social media accounts.

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog