North American Pygmy Hippo Population

[Valentinoamor]

Here is the recent (8/21/2021) version of the North American Pygmy Hippo population.

The North American Pygmy Hippo Population
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This document keeps a record of all births, deaths, locations, and transfers of all Pygmy Hippos in North America. This document will be constantly updated to make sure that the information provided is as accurate as possible. Feel free to leave any new information in the comments of this thread.


The facilities are organized by country, then in alphabetical order by the name of the facility. The individuals were organized by age.



Total Facilities with Pygmy Hippos: ~21 ; 1 Canada, 19/21 United States, 1? Mexico

Total Amount of Individuals: 47 (23.24.0); 1.1 Canada, 23.22 United States


CANADA

Toronto Zoo - Toronto, Ontario - 0.2.0
0.1, Kindia - 2006
0.1, Penelope - August 10, 2018


UNITED STATES

Baton Rouge Zoo - East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana - 1.1.0
1.0, Spencer - June 25, 1994
0.1, Ginger


Brookfield Zoo - Brookfield, Illinois - 0.0.0
Currently houses no hippos. Recently lost last hippo.


Franklin Park Zoo - Boston, Massachusetts - 2.1.0
1.0, Inocencio
0.1, Cleopatra
1.0, Ptolemy - October 5, 2020 - Inocencio x Cleopatra


Gladys Porter Zoo - Brownsville, Texas - 1.2.0
1.0, Juanito
0.1, Clover - 2004 - Wolee x Hope
0.1, ? - October 30, 2018 - Juanito x Clover


Greensboro Science Center - Greensboro, North Carolina - 1.1.0
1.0, Ralph - 2014 - same as Jackson?
0.1, Holly Berry - 2019 - Pogo x Zsa Zsa


Gulf Breeze Zoo - Santa Rosa County, Florida - 2.4.0
1.0, Queyah
1.0, Qiu Hsiang
0.1, Zhu Chang
0.1, Sirana
0.1, Ayana
0.1, Abina


Houston Zoo - Houston, Texas - 1.0.0
1.0, Silas - April 30, 2018 - Scooby x Chomel


Jackson Zoo - Jackson, Mississippi - 1.2.0
0.1, Clementine - 2011
1.0, Ralph - 2013 (February 22?)
0.1, Zemora - December 25, 2016 - Ralph x Clementine


Lincoln Park Zoo - Chicago, Illinois - 1.1.0
1.0, Howie - December 7, 2001 - Wolee x Hope
0.1, Annie


Louisville Zoo - Louisville, Kentucky - 1.0.0
1.0, Maji - 1994


Metro Richmond Zoo - Mosley, Virginia - 3.2.0
1.0, Corwin
0.1, Iris
1.0, Monty - April 3, 2016 - Nile x Lola
1.0, Levi - February 7, 2018 - Nile x Lola
0.1, Violet - July 26, 2020 - Corwin x Iris


Montgomery Zoo - Montgomery, Alabama - 1.2.0
1.0, Mikey
0.1, Asali
0.1, ? - August 4, 2019 - Mikey x Asali


Oklahoma City Zoo - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - 0.0.0
Currently has no hippos.


Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo - Omaha, Nebraska - 1.1.0
1.0, Scooby - 1991
0.1, Chomel - 2000


Pittsburgh Zoo - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - 0.0.0
1.0, Jahari - August 28, 2014 - Maji x Hope


San Diego Zoo - San Diego, California 2.1.0
1.0, SD Male
0.1, Mabel - October 1, 2015 - Scooby x Chomel
1.0, Akobi - April 2, 2020 - Unknown x Mabel


Tanganyika Wildlife Park - Goddard, Kansas - 1.1.0
0.1, Posie
1.0, Pluto


The Wild Animal Park - Chittenango, New York - 1.0.0
1.0, Yeti - April 11, 2019 - Pluto x Posi


Wildlife World Zoo - Maricopa County, Arizona -1.1.0
1.0, Tootsie Roll
0.1, Nessie


Zoo Miami - Miami-Dade County - 1.1.0
0.1, Kelsey - 1992
1.0, Aubergine - August 4, 2018 - Ralph x Kelsey


ZooTampa at Lowry Park - Tampa, Florida - 1.1.0
0.1, Zsa Zsa
1.0, Pogo - 1999


MEXICO

Morelia Zoo?

 

[Zorro]

So I take it none at the Rum River Ranch are included?

 

[Valentinoamor]

So I take it none at the Rum River Ranch are included?

I don't know what that is.

 

[IndianRhino]

Toronto Zoo - Toronto, Ontario - 0.2.0
0.1, Kindia - 2006
0.1, Penelope - August 10, 2018

Toronto also holds Penelope's father Harvey.

San Diego Zoo - San Diego, California 2.1.0
1.0, SD Male

His name is Elgon.

 

[Valentinoamor]

Toronto also holds Penelope's father Harvey.


His name is Elgon.

Thank you for letting me know! I appreciate it.

 

[Zorro]

I don't know what that is.

@EsserWarrior I believe its a private holding in the USA, along with a number of other rare species like Bongos. I believe the number of Bongo are 100+ and PH are 80+.
Indian rhinos 25 + I believe this was mentioned on this forum a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Coelacanth18]

I don't know what that is.

I believe its a private holding in the USA, along with a number of other rare species like Bongos. I believe the number of Bongo are 100+ and PH are 80+.

Officially called Center for Conservation of Tropical Ungulates (CCTU), unofficially referred to as Rum Creek or something of that nature. They are located somewhere in Florida. I don't know if their numbers are public, I can't find them on the USDA website.

 

[Mr.Ivory]

I just found this article regarding the pygmy hippos at CCTU Pygmy Hippo The First Month of “Fieldwork” in the USA – IBREAM

 

[Valentinoamor]

Center for Conservation of Tropical Ungulates (CCTU)

I am familiar with that name. I would include these animals on the list - if I can find any information on them. So do they not exchange these individuals with other zoos?

 

[Mr.Ivory]

I am familiar with that name. I would include these animals on the list - if I can find any information on them. So do they not exchange these individuals with other zoos?

I believe they have 48

 

[Zorro]

I believe they have 48

Do you know if that is a current number, If that is current that appears to be a big drop in their holdings?

 

[Coelacanth18]

1.0, Ralph - 2014 - same as Jackson?

I think it's the same animal; based on some cursory Internet research, this male would have been born at Omaha in ~2013/14, moved to Jackson and sired an offspring, moved to Miami and sired an offspring, and finally moved to Greensboro in 2021.

Pittsburgh Zoo - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - 0.0.0
1.0, Jahari - August 28, 2014 - Maji x Hope

should be 1.0.0 then.

So do they not exchange these individuals with other zoos?

Not sure.

I believe they have 48

What source is that from?

 

[Mr.Ivory]

I think it's the same animal; based on some cursory Internet research, this male would have been born at Omaha in ~2013/14, moved to Jackson and sired an offspring, moved to Miami and sired an offspring, and finally moved to Greensboro in 2021.



should be 1.0.0 then.



Not sure.



What source is that from?

Oh my bad the article that I read it was in 2016 so the info is incorrect my bad

 

[Mr.Ivory]

Do you know if that is a current number, If that is current that appears to be a big drop in their holdings?

The article that I read it from it was 2016 so the number of 48 is very incorrect

 

[IndianRhino]

If CCTU has 80+ pygmy hippos, I wonder how they have the space for all of the adults to live seperately since PH are solitary. Or do they manage them in pods like river hippos?

 

[Zorro]

If CCTU has 80+ pygmy hippos, I wonder how they have the space for all of the adults to live seperately since PH are solitary. Or do they manage them in pods like river hippos?

Just guessing but I would believe they would have them paired off.

 

[Valentinoamor]

If CCTU has 80+ pygmy hippos, I wonder how they have the space for all of the adults to live seperately since PH are solitary. Or do they manage them in pods like river hippos?

I also wonder how they pay for it.

 

[nczoofan]

46470 Farabee Rd, Punta Gorda, FL 33982

Here's the address. Put it in google and look just northeast. You'll see a massive complex of exhibits with pools. They have plenty of individual exhibits, about 39 in the main complex alone.

 

[Coelacanth18]

If CCTU has 80+ pygmy hippos, I wonder how they have the space for all of the adults to live seperately since PH are solitary. Or do they manage them in pods like river hippos?

This is sort of explained in the article @Javier Iniguez provided:

I started out at Rum Creek Ranch, a privately-owned breeding facility in central Florida with more than 30 pygmy hippos. They are not open to the public and they do not function at all like a zoo; their animals are all housed on large plots of land and managed in a hands-off fashion. The hippo areas (they have other tropical Endangered species, too) all contain a large shallow pond, open grassy areas, and areas with natural dense vegetation cover that to me looks very similar to pygmy hippo habitat in the West African rainforests.

Because Rum Creek Ranch does not have to house their animals in a viewer-friendly manner as they do not function at all like a traditional zoo, the pygmy hippos hardly ever have any human contact. The animals are also allowed to graze and forage on natural vegetation; they receive a very limited amount of supplemental feed. They also live a solitary existence except during breeding, which is thought to mimic the natural ecology of wild pygmy hippos.

The description in the article matches up with what @nczoofan is seeing on Google Maps: most likely a complex of large enclosures.

I also wonder how they pay for it.

The ranch is apparently owned by a billionaire named Brad Kelley (Wikipedia article: Brad M. Kelley - Wikipedia), so it may not require a constant revenue stream from outside sources. I found an article talking both about him and Rum Creek, which states that the facility is one of three Florida facilities that manage species in a consortium for reintroduction to Kenya (which would explain the large number of bongos at least): Where the bongos and bantengs roam

 

[IndianRhino]

Like @WhistlingKite24 reported on the Tanganyika thread, a male calf named Link was born on September 21st at Tanganyika to mom Posie and dad Pluto: Tanganyika welcomes baby pygmy hippo