Australasian Hippo Population

Since @Zoofan15 has already made a family tree post, I figured I’d make a variation of it; just post a compilation of the information we've discovered:

Starting with Taronga.

What we know thus far...

Taronga Zoo:

1916- 1.0 Dizzie (1898) arrived from the Moore Park Campus. He died 1951/1952.
1932- 0.1 Fatima (1928) arrived from the Cairo Zoo. Died in 1943.
1937- 0.1 Puddles/Nada was born to Dizzie and Fatima. She was sent to Auckland in 1939.
1939- 0.1 Sheba was born to Dizzie and Fatima. Fate unknown.
1941- 0.1 Bardia was born to Dizzie and Fatima. Assumed to die early on, considering a calf was born just over a year later.
1942- 1.0 Nero was born to Dizzie and Fatima. Died in 1943.
1946- 0.1 hippo was imported from Africa. She died between 1951/1952.
1951- 0.1 Hilda (unknown) and 0.1 Henrietta (unknown) arrived from Kenya joining Dizzie. Both fates unknown.
1954- 1.0 Billy (1950) and 0.1 Elizabeth (1954) arrived from Africa. Billy was sent to Dubbo in 1992, he died there soon after. Elizabeth's fate is unknown.
- 0.1 Lindy born to Billy and Hilda/Henrietta. She was sent to Dubbo in 1992 where she later died.
1956- 0.1 Heather was born to Billy and Hilda/Henrietta. She may have been sent to Dubbo and then to Werribee, where she may have had future calves.
1957- 0.1 Bonnie was born to Billy and Hilda/Henrietta. She was later sent to Auckland in 1966.
1965- 1.0 Albert was born to Billy and Mumsy. He was sent to Bacchus Marsh in the early 70s.
1967- 0.1 Victoria was born to Billy and Lindy. She was sent to Bacchus Marsh in the early 70s.
1970- 0.1 Suzie was born to Billy and Lindy. She was sent to Dubbo in 1976.
1977- 1.0 Happy was born to Billy and Lindy. He died prior to 1980.
1980- 0.1 Lousie was born to Billy and Lindy. She died prior to 1992.

By 1992, Taronga had two hippos, Billy and Lindy. They were relocated to Dubbo that year,

Dizzie and Fatima's offspring

0.1 Puddles/Nada (1937)
0.1 Sheba (1939)
0.1 Bardia (1941)
1.0 Nero (1942)

Billy's known offspring

0.1 Lindy (1954)
0.1 Heather (1956)
0.1 Bonnie (1957)
1.0 Albert (1965)
0.1 Victoria (1967)
0.1 Suzie (1970)
1.0 Happy (1977)
0.1 Louise (1980)

Possible offspring

1.0 Toby (1960's and 70's)

Lindy's offspring

0.1 Victoria (1967)
0.1 Suzie (1970)
1.0 Happy (1977)
0.1 Louise (1980)

Hilda + Henrietta's offspring

0.1 Lindy (1954)
0.1 Heather (1956)
0.1 Bonnie (1957)

Mumsy's offspring

1.0 Albert (1965)
 
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Jambo said:
Since @Zoofan15 has already made a family tree post, I figured I’d make a variation of it; just post a compilation of the information we've discovered:

Starting with Taronga.

What we know thus far...

Taronga Zoo:

1916- 1.0 Dizzie (1898) arrived from the Moore Park Campus. He died 1951/1952.
1932- 0.1 Fatima (1928) arrived from the Cairo Zoo. Died in 1943.
1937- 0.1 Puddles/Nada was born to Dizzie and Fatima. She was sent to Auckland in 1939.
1939- 0.1 Sheba was born to Dizzie and Fatima. Fate unknown.
1941- 0.1 Bardia was born to Dizzie and Fatima. Assumed to die early on, considering a calf was born just over a year later.
1942- 1.0 Nero was born to Dizzie and Fatima. Died in 1943.
1946- 0.1 hippo was imported from Africa. She died between 1951/1952.
1951- 0.1 Hilda (unknown) and 0.1 Henrietta (unknown) arrived from Kenya joining Dizzie. Both fates unknown.
1954- 1.0 Billy (1950) and 0.1 Elizabeth (1954) arrived from Africa. Billy was sent to Dubbo in 1992, he died there soon after. Elizabeth's fate is unknown.
- 0.1 Lindy born to Billy and Hilda/Henrietta. She was sent to Dubbo in 1992 where she later died.
1956- 0.1 Heather was born to Billy and Hilda/Henrietta. She may have been sent to Dubbo and then to Werribee, where she may have had future calves.
1957- 0.1 Bonnie was born to Billy and Hilda/Henrietta. She was later sent to Auckland in 1966.
1965- 1.0 Albert was born to Billy and Mumsy. He was sent to Bacchus Marsh in the early 70s.
1967- 0.1 Victoria was born to Billy and Lindy. She was sent to Bacchus Marsh in the early 70s.
1970- 0.1 Suzie was born to Billy and Lindy. She was sent to Dubbo in 1976.
1977- 1.0 Happy was born to Billy and Lindy. He died prior to 1980.
1980- 0.1 Lousie was born to Billy and Lindy. She died prior to 1992.

By 1992, Taronga had two hippos, Billy and Lindy. They were relocated to Dubbo that year,

Dizzie and Fatima's offspring

0.1 Puddles/Nada (1937)
0.1 Sheba (1939)
0.1 Bardia (1941)
1.0 Nero (1942)

Billy's known offspring

0.1 Lindy (1954)
0.1 Heather (1956)
0.1 Bonnie (1957)
1.0 Albert (1965)
0.1 Victoria (1967)
0.1 Suzie (1970)
1.0 Happy (1977)
0.1 Louise (1980)

Possible offspring

1.0 Toby (1960's and 70's)

Lindy's offspring

0.1 Victoria (1967)
0.1 Suzie (1970)
1.0 Happy (1977)
0.1 Louise (1980)

Hilda + Henrietta's offspring

0.1 Lindy (1954)
0.1 Heather (1956)
0.1 Bonnie (1957)

Mumsy's offspring

1.0 Albert (1965)
Click to expand...
Thank you both @Zoofan15 and @Jambo for your time and effort with the hippo family trees
 
Jambo said:
Since @Zoofan15 has already made a family tree post, I figured I’d make a variation of it; just post a compilation of the information we've discovered:

Starting with Taronga.

What we know thus far...

Taronga Zoo:

1916- 1.0 Dizzie (1898) arrived from the Moore Park Campus. He died 1951/1952.
1932- 0.1 Fatima (1928) arrived from the Cairo Zoo. Died in 1943.
1937- 0.1 Puddles/Nada was born to Dizzie and Fatima. She was sent to Auckland in 1939.
1939- 0.1 Sheba was born to Dizzie and Fatima. Fate unknown.
1941- 0.1 Bardia was born to Dizzie and Fatima. Assumed to die early on, considering a calf was born just over a year later.
1942- 1.0 Nero was born to Dizzie and Fatima. Died in 1943.
1946- 0.1 hippo was imported from Africa. She died between 1951/1952.
1951- 0.1 Hilda (unknown) and 0.1 Henrietta (unknown) arrived from Kenya joining Dizzie. Both fates unknown.
1954- 1.0 Billy (1950) and 0.1 Elizabeth (1954) arrived from Africa. Billy was sent to Dubbo in 1992, he died there soon after. Elizabeth's fate is unknown.
- 0.1 Lindy born to Billy and Hilda/Henrietta. She was sent to Dubbo in 1992 where she later died.
1956- 0.1 Heather was born to Billy and Hilda/Henrietta. She may have been sent to Dubbo and then to Werribee, where she may have had future calves.
1957- 0.1 Bonnie was born to Billy and Hilda/Henrietta. She was later sent to Auckland in 1966.
1965- 1.0 Albert was born to Billy and Mumsy. He was sent to Bacchus Marsh in the early 70s.
1967- 0.1 Victoria was born to Billy and Lindy. She was sent to Bacchus Marsh in the early 70s.
1970- 0.1 Suzie was born to Billy and Lindy. She was sent to Dubbo in 1976.
1977- 1.0 Happy was born to Billy and Lindy. He died prior to 1980.
1980- 0.1 Lousie was born to Billy and Lindy. She died prior to 1992.

By 1992, Taronga had two hippos, Billy and Lindy. They were relocated to Dubbo that year,

Dizzie and Fatima's offspring

0.1 Puddles/Nada (1937)
0.1 Sheba (1939)
0.1 Bardia (1941)
1.0 Nero (1942)

Billy's known offspring

0.1 Lindy (1954)
0.1 Heather (1956)
0.1 Bonnie (1957)
1.0 Albert (1965)
0.1 Victoria (1967)
0.1 Suzie (1970)
1.0 Happy (1977)
0.1 Louise (1980)

Possible offspring

1.0 Toby (1960's and 70's)

Lindy's offspring

0.1 Victoria (1967)
0.1 Suzie (1970)
1.0 Happy (1977)
0.1 Louise (1980)

Hilda + Henrietta's offspring

0.1 Lindy (1954)
0.1 Heather (1956)
0.1 Bonnie (1957)

Mumsy's offspring

1.0 Albert (1965)
Click to expand...

Good summary!

It’d be great to know more Hilda and Henrietta and whether they had any offspring beyond the three we’ve assigned to them thus far. This species has short inter-birth intervals, so it’s possible one of these cows was the dam of all three of these - especially given Bonnie was born at the end of 1957.

The other thing that makes me think that either Hilda or Henrietta died shortly after Billy’s arrival is that they retained Lindy and Bonnie, until Bonnie was exported nine years after her birth in 1966. That would otherwise have given them a large number of cows on site, factoring in they also had the young female imported 1954 (Elizabeth).
 
Zoofan15 said:
Good summary!

It’d be great to know more Hilda and Henrietta and whether they had any offspring beyond the three we’ve assigned to them thus far. This species has short inter-birth intervals, so it’s possible one of these cows was the dam of all three of these - especially given Bonnie was born at the end of 1957.

The other thing that makes me think that either Hilda or Henrietta died shortly after Billy’s arrival is that they retained Lindy and Bonnie, until Bonnie was exported nine years after her birth in 1966. That would otherwise have given them a large number of cows on site, factoring in they also had the young female imported 1954 (Elizabeth).
Click to expand...

I agree. The retaining of the first three girls (Lindy, Heather and Bonnie) demonstrates this. Taronga would’ve had five cows at the time, and it’s possible these three younger cows were kept as a trio until Bonnie departed and their mother died. Taronga only had four pens, so would’ve been able to hold, Billy, Hilda/Henrietta + calves, Elizabeth + calves and then any younger juveniles.

Lindy had her first offspring at age 13 in 1967, and Heather at age 12 in 1968, which only further confirms this. Bonnie also didn’t record any offspring during her time at Taronga, even though she left aged nine.

There were also probably a lot of unsuccessful calves adding to this as well, but I think we can assume the remaining female (Hilda or Henrietta) died in the early 60’s. Mumsy (who may be Elizabeth) didn’t have any success before Albert in 1965, which makes me think she may have been housed with another female (who would kill her calves).

By 1976, Taronga were left with at least seven hippos (Billy, Lindy, Suzie, Mumsy, Toby, Unknown male and Heather). The unknown male may have been a son of Lindy’s born around 1974, between Suzie (1970) and Happy (1977). His departure to Dubbo in 1979 supports this as he would’ve been too young when the original trio were sent. Toby I’m thinking may have been born in the early 70’s as a son of Mumsy’s. There appeared to be a young juvenile (two, theee years old) from early photos.
 
Zoofan15 said:
No problem, happy to help. I’ve really enjoyed researching them and learning more from the research @Jambo and others have contributed. I think between us all, we’ve uncovered more in the last fortnight than we have in the past year.
Click to expand...

Your first post really inspired me to do further intense research, and I’m glad I did. We’ve found quite a lot within the last few days! It’ll be great to see what more we can unearth, but what we’ve found thus far has given us more of a thorough understanding of the regional population.
 
Looking to the future if the big 3 open range zoos can hold a large base number once importing and some breeding takes place should put them in the best position ever within our region, also if a few of the regional zoos become holders it will strengthen the species in our zoos for the long term
 
Zorro said:
Looking to the future if the big 3 open range zoos can hold a large base number once importing and some breeding takes place should put them in the best position ever within our region, also if a few of the regional zoos become holders it will strengthen the species in our zoos for the long term
Click to expand...

If we can have Monarto, Werribee and Dubbo at least aiming for eight hippos each, and then having secondary facilities such as Altina and Darling Downs holding smaller groups our region would be in a much better situation in the long term.
 
Jambo said:
If we can have Monarto, Werribee and Dubbo at least aiming for eight hippos each, and then having secondary facilities such as Altina and Darling Downs holding smaller groups our region would be in a much better situation in the long term.
Click to expand...
I believe but not certain that Altina might have an interest in the river hippo with DDZ focusing on Pygmies
 
Zorro said:
I believe but not certain that Altina might have an interest in the river hippo with DDZ focusing on Pygmies
Click to expand...

I believe Altina have expressed interest in the past. Darling Downs do have Pygmy Hippo, but I don't see why they couldn't hold both! Another option may be Australia Zoo, but that is if they wish to import another species for their African collection. They could do with some hippos, and they definitely have the resources for them.
 
Jambo said:
I believe Altina have expressed interest in the past. Darling Downs do have Pygmy Hippo, but I don't see why they couldn't hold both! Another option may be Australia Zoo, but that is if they wish to import another species for their African collection. They could do with some hippos, and they definitely have the resources for them.
Click to expand...
I believe with DDZ being out in the country lacks any town water mains also it can be painfully dry in that region in drought times so it’s more of a water issue than anything else
 
Zorro said:
Looking to the future if the big 3 open range zoos can hold a large base number once importing and some breeding takes place should put them in the best position ever within our region, also if a few of the regional zoos become holders it will strengthen the species in our zoos for the long term
Click to expand...

It’d be great to see the region finally reach their population target of 24 Common hippopotami, which will likely expand to at least the late 20’s due to Monarto planning to hold a larger number than their previous aim of 0.3 and other facilities considering becoming new holders - many of which would have discounted this species due to the expense of importing (and the absence of an IRA).

Infanticide will require infrastructure to manage multiple groupings of hippopotamus. Dubbo excel at this, having successfully managed the introduction of a mother and newborn to their older sibling/siblings twice now over the past five years as the calf comes of age.
 
Part II:

Refer to post #261 of this thread for Part I, what we know thus far regarding Taronga's hippos.

Next up is Dubbo or Taronga Western Plains Zoo:

What we know..

1976 - The following individuals arrived from Taronga:
1.0 Toby (unknown)- He died in the 90’s
0.1 Suzie (1970) Billy x Lindy- died in 2016
0.1 Mumsy (1954) died prior to 1985

1978 - 1.0 Harry was born to Toby and Suzie. He was sent to Werribee in 1984.
- 0.0.1 calf was born to Toby and Mumsy. It died two months after its birth.

1979 - 1.0 Unknown arrived from Taronga. He was most likely a son of Billy’s and was sent to the Tipperary station in 1982.

1982 - 0.1 Daisy was born to Toby and Suzie. She was sent to Tipperary in 1989.

1985 - 1.0 Happy was born to Toby and Suzie. He died in 2018.

1988 - 1.0 Ollie was born to Toby and Daisy/Suzie. He died prior to 2005.

1989 - 0.1 Rumbin (1986) arrived from Adelaide Zoo. She died in 2011.

1990 - 0.0.1 stillborn calf was born to Toby and Suzie.

1991 - 0.1 Mafuta was born to Happy and Rumbin. She died sometime between 2007 and 2009.

1992 - 1.0 Billy and 0.1 Lindy arrived from Taronga Zoo. Both died in the 90’s.

1993 - 0.0.1 calf was born to Ollie and Suzie. It was found dead next morning in Happy’s yard.
- 1.0 Obay born to Billy and Lindy. Died two months after birth; killed by an exhibit mate.

1996 - 1.0 Mana was born to Ollie and Suzie. He died in 2021.
- 0.1 Kariba was born to Happy and Rumbin. She died two days after birth.

1998 - 0.0.1 calf was born to Happy and Rumbin. Killed at eighteen days old by an exhibit mate.
- 0.0.1 calf was born to Ollie and Suzie. It was killed at two days old by an exhibit mate.

1999 - 1.0 Timbuktu was born to Happy and Rumbin. He died from behavioural issues two days after his birth.
- 0.1 Nile was born to Ollie and Suzie.

2012 - 0.1 Cuddles (2002) arrives from Cairns Wildlife Safari.

2013 - 0.0.1 calf was born to Mana and Cuddles. It died soon after its birth.

2014 - 0.1 Kibibi was born to Mana and Cuddles.

2017 - 0.1 Kendi was born to Mana and Cuddles.

2020 - 1.0 Kani was born to Mana and Cuddles.


Dubbo currently have 1.4 Hippos (Kani, Nile, Cuddles, Kibibi, Kendi).

Suzie's offspring

1.0 Harold (1978) x Toby
0.1 Daisy (1982) x Toby
1.0 Happy (1985) x Toby
0.0.1 Stillborn (1990) x Toby
0.0.1 Unamed (1993) x Ollie
1.0 Mana (1996) x Ollie
0.1 Nile (1999) x Ollie

she could also be the mother of

1.0 Ollie (1988) x Toby

Rumbin's offspring

0.1 Mafuta (1991) x Happy
0.1 Kariba (1996) x Happy
0.0.1 Unamed (1998) x Happy
1.0 Timbuktu (1999) x Happy

Cuddle's offspring

0.0.1 Unamed (2013)
0.1 Kibibi (2014)
0.1 Kendi (2017)
1.0 Kani (2020)


Further notes:

  • Dubbo has experienced 19 births over the years, 9 (4.5) of which were successful. Cuddles has three successful calves, Suzie had four, and Rumbin the one. Only the youngest four surviving calves are alive today.
  • Rumbin's last calf, Timbuktu died from behavioural conditions which led to Rumbin acquiring health problems associated with birth process and became weak on back legs. This may have prevented her from breeding again, although many attempts were made to breed from her in her final years.
  • We can assume Toby died sometime in the early 90's, as starting from 1993, Suzie's next calves were sired by Ollie, who was either her son or her grandson.
  • Suzie stopped breeding following the birth of Nile in 1999, which means we can make the assumption, Ollie died soon afterwards.
  • Otherwise, as of 2005, Dubbo had 2.4 Hippos and were holding them across four groups; Suzie and Nile; Rumbin and Mafuta; Happy; and then Mana.
 
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Zoofan15 said:
It’d be great to see the region finally reach their population target of 21 Common hippopotami, which will likely expand to at least the mid 20’s due to Monarto planning to hold a larger number than their previous aim of 0.3 and other facilities considering becoming new holders - many of which would have discounted this species due to the expense of importing (and the absence of an IRA).

Infanticide will require infrastructure to manage multiple groupings of hippopotamus. Dubbo excel at this, having successfully managed the introduction of a mother and newborn to their older sibling/siblings twice now over the past five years as the calf comes of age.
Click to expand...
I believe Werribee had expanded or remodelled the off exhibit holding yards a couple of years ago perhaps to hold more?
 
Jambo said:
I agree. The retaining of the first three girls (Lindy, Heather and Bonnie) demonstrates this. Taronga would’ve had five cows at the time, and it’s possible these three younger cows were kept as a trio until Bonnie departed and their mother died. Taronga only had four pens, so would’ve been able to hold, Billy, Hilda/Henrietta + calves, Elizabeth + calves and then any younger juveniles.

Lindy had her first offspring at age 13 in 1967, and Heather at age 12 in 1968, which only further confirms this. Bonnie also didn’t record any offspring during her time at Taronga, even though she left aged nine.

There were also probably a lot of unsuccessful calves adding to this as well, but I think we can assume the remaining female (Hilda or Henrietta) died in the early 60’s. Mumsy (who may be Elizabeth) didn’t have any success before Albert in 1965, which makes me think she may have been housed with another female (who would kill her calves).

By 1976, Taronga were left with at least seven hippos (Billy, Lindy, Suzie, Mumsy, Toby, Unknown male and Heather). The unknown male may have been a son of Lindy’s born around 1974, between Suzie (1970) and Happy (1977). His departure to Dubbo in 1979 supports this as he would’ve been too young when the original trio were sent. Toby I’m thinking may have been born in the early 70’s as a son of Mumsy’s. There appeared to be a young juvenile (two, theee years old) from early photos.
Click to expand...

Kabete at Auckland Zoo was imported in 1953 (the year before Billy) and breeding similarly took off, with multiple calves born. Adelaide Zoo were apparently content to maintain a single bull and so demand for hippopotamus calves was no longer exceeding demand.

With this in mind, I suspect Taronga may have been content to use separation as a means of contraception and it’s possible that Lindy, Heather and Bonnie were housed in a non breeding group (either as a trio or with their mother) while other cows were bred from e.g. Elizabeth, who would have reached reproductive age in the late 1950’s.

In this day and age, we’d regard breeding from different founder cows as a logical population management strategy re. genetics but in those days it would have likely served as logistical strategy. The mature bull would have been a risk to the newborn Bonnie, but she could be safely housed with her mother and juvenile sisters; while adult cows were housed either with each other or Billy.
 
Zorro said:
I believe Werribee had expanded or remodelled the off exhibit holding yards a couple of years ago perhaps to hold more?
Click to expand...

That’s right. It gave me hope that an IRA would soon materialise, but nothing ever came of it. At least now with the transfer of 0.2 to Monarto, they will have multiple options to manage the breeding of their three cows to a new bull, which at this stage will be Kani if no imports are to follow.

One option could be to maintain Primrose (1990) and Tulip (2003) as a non breeding pair; while breeding from Lotus (2008), who could be housed with her offspring. Primrose and Tulip are close in age and will likely pass away around a similar time, so separating them off in a pod is good logistical management.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Infanticide will require infrastructure to manage multiple groupings of hippopotamus. Dubbo excel at this, having successfully managed the introduction of a mother and newborn to their older sibling/siblings twice now over the past five years as the calf comes of age.
Click to expand...

Dubbo actually had a lot of cases of infanticide in the 90's, mainly due to the fact they only had one pool up until the early 2000's. Dubbo were forced to group their hippos in two groups back then, so Rumbin was often kept with Suzie in the 90's, leading to one of the females killing the others calf fairly often.

When Billy and Lindy were brought in, in 1992, Dubbo likely had five hippos (Suzie, Happy, Ollie, Rumbin, and Mafuta), and Mafuta's successful birth may have tied in with the fact that Toby had died, allowing Rumbin to live separately during the first few critical months. Dubbo would have been forced to place them in with other hippos, and I imagine they would've been put in with Suzie's pod to protect Mafuta. This is supported by the deaths of both Suzie's and Lindy's calves the following year.

By the late 90's, the population was back to where it was (following the deaths of Billy and Lindy), allowing Rumbin and Suzie to have the chance to raise successful calves.
 
Zorro said:
I believe Werribee had expanded or remodelled the off exhibit holding yards a couple of years ago perhaps to hold more?
Click to expand...

Zoofan15 said:
That’s right. It gave me hope that an IRA would soon materialise, but nothing ever came of it. At least now with the transfer of 0.2 to Monarto, they will have multiple options to manage the breeding of their three cows to a new bull, which at this stage will be Kani if no imports are to follow.

One option could be to maintain Primrose (1990) and Tulip (2003) as a non breeding pair; while breeding from Lotus (2008), who could be housed with her offspring. Primrose and Tulip are close in age and will likely pass away around a similar time, so separating them off in a pod is good logistical management.
Click to expand...

Werribee hasn't expanded or remodelled them in recent years. They've always been the same if your referring to their off display holding yards.

Werribee have three pools, one which hasn't been in use since Harry's death back in 2014. The biggest enclosure could easily hold a large group of six or so hippos (a mother and her calves). I'd imagine Werribee will go down the route of breeding from only Lotus, as this time Primrose is factored into the equation. If they bred both girls, they would require their own enclosures each, and Primrose would have to be displayed with Kani, which I don't think would be ideal. Keeping Primrose and Lotus as a pair, and then breeding from Lotus sounds the best option imo.
 
Final part, Part III.

See post #261 and #274 for earlier parts.

Werribee Open Range Zoo's Hippo History

What we know so far...

In 1984 Werribee imported 1.2 Hippos:
1.0 Harry (1978) Toby x Suzie, from Dubbo- he died in 2014
0.1 Unknown (possibly Heather), from Taronga- died 90’s
0.1 Beatrice (1980?) Albert x Victoria, from Adelaide- died early 90’s

1985- 1.0 Unknown was born to Harry and the female from Taronga. He was sent to Tipperary Station in 1989 where he died in transit.

1989- 1.0 Unknown was born to Harry and Beatrice. He died in 2000/2001

1990- 0.1 Primrose was born to Harry and the Taronga female.
-0.1 Brindabella was born to Harry and Beatrice.

2001- 1.0 Kijana was born to Harry and Brindabella. Killed at the age of one by Primrose and Harry.

2002- 0.0.1 calf was born to Harry and Primrose. Primrose accidentally crushed it when it was two weeks old.

2003- 0.1 Tulip was born to Harry and Primrose.

2008- 0.1 Lotus was born to Harry and Primrose.

2011- 0.0.1 calf was born to Harry and Brindabella. It died within its few first days.

2013 - 0.1 Pansy was born to Harry and Brindabella.


We can assume...
  • The Taronga female has to be Heather (1956). Either that or she's Elizabeth (1954) who we believe to be 'Mumsy' who died at Dubbo.
  • Considering there were no births following Primrose and Brindabella in 1990, we can assume Brindabella's mother, Beatrice died shortly after. Primrose's mother (possibly Heather), would've been in her mid 30's, and so it would've made sense if Primrose was her final calf.
  • In 2000, an article mentioned Werribee had 2.2 hippos. They had two ponds on display at the time, and one off display. This allowed for successful breeding initially; the young 89 male might've been just too young to kill Brindabella at birth, allowing her to survive, but that's just my assumption. Harry was apparently kept off display during this time. The two on display ponds would've had Brindabella and Primrose together, and then the 89 born male.
  • If the 89 born male died sometime in late 2000, it would make sense for Harry to be transferred back to the on display ponds, and hence, allowed to breed with Brindabella and Primrose who conceived shortly after.

There's also a historic list of Auckland's hippos made by @Zoofan15 . It's here: Common Hippopotami at Auckland Zoo [Auckland Zoo]

Aside from that, that's mainly the history/lineage of our regions current hippos today. Feel free to correct any errors, or do some further research yourselves. We've dug out a lot and hopefully there's more to uncover.
 
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