North American Common Hippopotamus Population

Kevin Miller said:
There is no way they could have lost 7 hippos in just a couple years. I visited in January and saw 3 or 4 but I don’t know if you could ever see all 11 out on 1 day?
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Nile Hippo Expert said:
Here is what I found out about the Disney hippos as of March 18th:
- Disney still had 11 hippos when I visited on March 18th, and I saw 10 of them (I did not see Hans).
- 4 of them (2.2) hippos can be seen from the Gorilla Falls Trail, and the other seven (n1*.6 [*Nacho, the male in that bloat is neutered]) can be seen from Kilimanjaro Safari bus ride.
- The two female hippos that can be seen at Gorilla Falls are Panchita and Mezcal, who are on exhibit together every morning.
- Those two are kept separate from the rest of the bloat when any of the other hippos (right now would be Tuma) have a calf because according to a hippo keeper there, they often try to convince the calf that THEY are their mother instead of Tuma, which the staff really do not want, so until Greta leaves Disney or becomes mature, Panchita and Mezcal will be on their own on exhibit.
- The two bulls you can see on Gorilla Falls Trail are Henry, the breeding bull, and his adult son Hans, both of whom do not share space with other hippos, and they alternate days going out on exhibit every afternoon (when I went it was Henry).
- Henry is recommended to breed with Tuma and Rosie, but lives alone otherwise, and they are not attempting that at the moment.
-Hans is not currently used for breeding.
- As for the Safari bus ride, there were two enclosures, one had three hippos, the other had four, meaning that there were definitely still eleven hippos total when I visited, though I am not 100% sure on the groupings, though it is very safe to say that Tuma and Greta are in the same enclosure because they are a mother and juvenile daughter pair.
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Thank you both so much for your responses clearing that up & for the additional information. I appreciate it. I’ve been following this hippo population post awhile & I figured this would be a good place to ask. I thought that sounded too bizarre that DAK could go from 11 to down to 4 so quickly & quietly, but I didn’t want to make her(the group member) feel like I was calling her a liar, so I didn’t push beyond asking if she was sure. So it sounds like she either misunderstood or was misinformed by an employee.
 
A calf was born at Safari Niagara about a week ago. However, this isn’t exactly great news because the parents (Bobo and Gladys) are half-siblings and it was likely a contraceptive failure. Safari Niagara isn’t part of the North American Nile Hippo SSP and there was no breeding recommendation, and it didn’t say if it was intentional or not to breed their hippos.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C85n4CoNHRv/?igsh=NHR3N3JrcWFibTNq
 
Rzzbrree said:
Thank you both so much for your responses clearing that up & for the additional information. I appreciate it. I’ve been following this hippo population post awhile & I figured this would be a good place to ask. I thought that sounded too bizarre that DAK could go from 11 to down to 4 so quickly & quietly, but I didn’t want to make her(the group member) feel like I was calling her a liar, so I didn’t push beyond asking if she was sure. So it sounds like she either misunderstood or was misinformed by an employee.
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Thanks for asking your question. I still can only name 10 of them:
Henry
Hans
Nacho
Tuma
Greta
Rosie
Ramona
Viviana
Panchita
Mezcal
I know Augustus “Gus” went to Dallas. Which hippo am I missing? Thanks
 
Smaggledagle said:
I do want to point out, the Luis A. Ferre Science Park in Bayamon, Puerto Rico should still have a single hippo (from the latest USDA Report).
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That would be Tommy a 52 year old male. He was deemed not fit for transport because of his age when the Wild Animal Sanctuary came for the animals of the closed Mayaguez Zoo and the Science Park in Bayamon.
 
Nile Hippo Expert said:
A new female hippo will arrive at the San Diego Zoo today as mentioned by @Haybale, more than likely Lupe from Woodland Park Zoo.
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Interesting to see what this means for San Diego's other two girls. Whether they choose to hold a non breeding group going forward; or transfer Amahle out as the exhibit is on the smaller side for three hippos, let alone four (if a bull is to be acquired).
 
Sorry if these are dumb questions, but I've only recently started getting curious beyond keeping track of holders...
- Pretty sure I know this but besides DAK, nowhere in North America holds more than four hippos, right?
- Do any facilities (besides Brookfield) have hippos in their long-term master plans for the future?
- San Francisco and Woodland Park have gone out of hippos recently; Are any other facilities planning to permanently end exhibiting hippos?
- What facilities are currently breeding hippos?

Also, does anyone know how 'cold tolerant' hippos are?

I know Milwaukee is currently a retirement facility for Patty and Happy. I've visited Saint Louis but don't know their details though I did see and enjoy the exhibit. Denver's hippo exhibit is disappointing and I'm curious what their long term plans will be.
 
JVM said:
Sorry if these are dumb questions, but I've only recently started getting curious beyond keeping track of holders...
- Pretty sure I know this but besides DAK, nowhere in North America holds more than four hippos, right?
- Do any facilities (besides Brookfield) have hippos in their long-term master plans for the future?
- San Francisco and Woodland Park have gone out of hippos recently; Are any other facilities planning to permanently end exhibiting hippos?
- What facilities are currently breeding hippos?

Also, does anyone know how 'cold tolerant' hippos are?

I know Milwaukee is currently a retirement facility for Patty and Happy. I've visited Saint Louis but don't know their details though I did see and enjoy the exhibit. Denver's hippo exhibit is disappointing and I'm curious what their long term plans will be.
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Yes, Disney is the only place with more than four hippos right now. For phase-out zoo’s, Sedgwick County Zoo is not bringing back hippos once Sweetie Pie passes (who is 53).
 
Jambo said:
Interesting to see what this means for San Diego's other two girls. Whether they choose to hold a non breeding group going forward; or transfer Amahle out as the exhibit is on the smaller side for three hippos, let alone four (if a bull is to be acquired).
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Aren't these females too genetically valuable to be maintained as a non-breeding group? Are there any breeding age males out there who would be compatible with these females?
 
Gabby said:
Aren't these females too genetically valuable to be maintained as a non-breeding group? Are there any breeding age males out there who would be compatible with these females?
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Funani just turned 40yo, she is still part of the SSP but may not be viable again. Her calf Amahale is 4.5 so she wouldn't be ready for a play date until 7 or 8yo.

As for Lupe at 24, tgat does seem to be in the height of the breeding age.

It will be exciting to see what does happen!

The San Diego Zoo did just Rhinovate (even better as the duo were un the Rhino enclosure) the River Hippo enclosure as it just reopened in March of 2024 (~2 year process with delays). It was rumored the upgrades were to potentially have more hippos in the future.
 
Haybale said:
Funani just turned 40yo, she is still part of the SSP but may not be viable again. Her calf Amahale is 4.5 so she wouldn't be ready for a play date until 7 or 8yo.

As for Lupe at 24, tgat does seem to be in the height of the breeding age.

It will be exciting to see what does happen!

The San Diego Zoo did just Rhinovate (even better as the duo were un the Rhino enclosure) the River Hippo enclosure as it just reopened in March of 2024 (~2 year process with delays). It was rumored the upgrades were to potentially have more hippos in the future.
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If I remember correctly, the hippo SSP document in the section for San Diego said something like to let the SSP know when San Diego is ready for a male.
I am glad San Diego Zoo has a hippo-cam!
 
Gabby said:
If I remember correctly, the hippo SSP document in the section for San Diego said something like to let the SSP know when San Diego is ready for a male.
I am glad San Diego Zoo has a hippo-cam!
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It did, but now with an additional female it's intriguing to see whether they will have the opportunity to do this, despite the new facilities.

Unless they've installed additional off display space, they can theoretically only accommodate a single breeding female.
 
JVM said:
- San Francisco and Woodland Park have gone out of hippos recently; Are any other facilities planning to permanently end exhibiting hippos?
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Toronto is phasing out River Hippos, I think actively seeking homes for its two females. The exhibit is old and outdated and the house needs a lot of renovations. Additionally there is no viewing space in the winter. Would require a large and very expensive renovation to be able to exhibit year round, therefore they will be phased out with a focus on our pygmy hippos instead.
 
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