North American Pygmy Hippo Population

[Okapi Lover]

It would be nice if you credited people for their information (@MeiLover posted this in the Brookfield thread) especially when the information wasn’t announced by the zoo itself. Remember it’s always good to post a source for news you are posting… you were just told this yesterday

Nonetheless, this is exciting news! I’m glad Brookfield is getting back into the species instead of phasing them out. My guess is Akobi from SDZ but there are numerous young animals in the population so it’s anyone’s guess who it will be.

My guess would be one of the animals from CCTU, given that Brookfield seems to have some desire to maintain a relationship with them, having gotten 3 lowland tapirs (a disfavored species for an AZA institution) from them.

 

[Zoofan15]

0.1 Zemora (2016) was transferred from Jackson Zoo to Louisville Zoo to be paired with Maji:

Louisville Zoo welcomes female pygmy hippo

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

UNITED STATES

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


Tanganyika Wildlife Park - Goddard, Kansas - 2.3.0
0.1, Zola - November 16, 2012 - Dagwood x Unknown
0.1, Posie
1.0, Pluto - January 27, 2012 - Donde x Haley
0.1, Unknown - June 23, 2017 - Pluto x Posie
1.0, Link - September 21, 2021 - Pluto x Posie

Gulf Breeze Zoo
1.0 Qiu Hsiang (Taipei Zoo)
0.1 Queyah (Basel Zoo)

Off Site Breeding Center
1.0 Zhu Chang (Taipei Zoo)
0.1 Sirana (Marwell Zoo via Bristol UK)
0.1 Ayana (Singapore Zoo)
0.1 Abina (Singapore Zoo)


Tanganyika Wildlife Park
Only one breeding female and Zola is one and the same as Posie (renamed at Goddard - Kansas). Also, I believe the female born in 2017 has been sent elsewhere (dunno where yet).

 

[Zoofan15]

Brookfield's new hippo is a three year old female as reported by @Smaggledagle:

On July 12th, the zoo announced they have acquired a (0.1) pygmy hippo named Banana which is currently on exhibit in the Pachyderms area.

Brookfield Zoo - Knock, knock. Who's there? Banana ... | By Brookfield Zoo | Knock, knock. Who's there? Banana Banana who? Banana, our new pygmy hippo! Meet Banana, a three-year-old female pygmy hippopotamus who has...

 

[Valentinoamor]

Brookfield's new hippo is a three year old female as reported by @Smaggledagle:

Any idea on who she is or where she came from?

 

[Zoofan15]

Any idea on who she is or where she came from?

She was born August 2019, so I'm guessing she's the unnamed female in your list at the Montgomery Zoo in Alabama.

It'd be helpful if the zoos were more forthcoming with basic details such as where their new animals came from.

 

[Jambo]

Any idea on who she is or where she came from?

She was born August 2019, so I'm guessing she's the unnamed female in your list at the Montgomery Zoo in Alabama.

It'd be helpful if the zoos were more forthcoming with basic details such as where their new animals came from.

No, Banana arrived in May from the Center for Conservation of Tropical Ungulates (CCTU) in Punta Gorda, Florida.

 

[Elena]

Brookfield Zoo's press release notes Banana will be 3 on August 27:

Chicago Zoological Society - Pygmy Hippopotamus Arrives at Brookfield Zoo

 

[SwampDonkey]

Gulf Breeze Zoo
1.0 Qiu Hsiang (Taipei Zoo)
0.1 Queyah (Basel Zoo)

Off Site Breeding Center
1.0 Zhu Chang (Taipei Zoo)
0.1 Sirana (Marwell Zoo via Bristol UK)
0.1 Ayana (Singapore Zoo)
0.1 Abina (Singapore Zoo)

Off site or Off exhibit breeding center in Gulf Breeze? I can only find the press release that says it is off exhibit, which would mean it was still at the zoo, rather than a different property as off-site would be.

 

[Jambo]

Off site or Off exhibit breeding center in Gulf Breeze? I can only find the press release that says it is off exhibit, which would mean it was still at the zoo, rather than a different property as off-site would be.

It’s within the zoo so it would be an off exhibit breeding centre. Only the breeding pair are on display.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

Official announcement for the new female pygmy hippo at Louisville Zoo. She will rotte on exhibit with their current adult 28-year old male Maji.

Source: Louisville Zoo Welcomes Female Pygmy Hippo Zemora (Media Release)


If your info - @Zoofan15 - is correct this should be a Rum Creek female with ancestry from TSI Bogor Indonesia male x Lisboa Zoo female. A rather valuable genetic addition to the US and AZA population.

 

[arafan]

Has anyone an what happened the last pair of pygmy hippos of Zurich? In my notes Boseda (2008, Attica zoo, Greece) and Anaïs (probably 1988 in France) went to Florida, sadly I'm not able to find into which zoo exactly.

 

[Jambo]

Has anyone an what happened the last pair of pygmy hippos of Zurich? In my notes Boseda (2008, Attica zoo, Greece) and Anaïs (probably 1988 in France) went to Florida, sadly I'm not able to find into which zoo exactly.

I thought Anais went to Vincennes Zoo in France. She had a son there in 2017.

I'm not sure about Boseda though.

 

[arafan]

I thought Anais went to Vincennes Zoo in France. She had a son there in 2017.

Thank you for the information! That's interesting, she originaly came from Vincennes to Zurich and looking at the ZTL and the zoo website, it doesn't seem that Paris keeps any longer pygmy hippos. Are you sure it isn't an older news?

 

[leo811]

It would be nice if you credited people for their information (@MeiLover posted this in the Brookfield thread) especially when the information wasn’t announced by the zoo itself. Remember it’s always good to post a source for news you are posting… you were just told this yesterday

Nonetheless, this is exciting news! I’m glad Brookfield is getting back into the species instead of phasing them out. My guess is Akobi from SDZ but there are numerous young animals in the population so it’s anyone’s guess who it will be.

Akobi is only just over a year old. I thought calves stay with Moms longer? Does moving them this young commonly happen? Is Elgon, Akobi's father still there? Thank you.

 

[IndianRhino]

Akobi is only just over a year old. I thought calves stay with Moms longer? Does moving them this young commonly happen? Is Elgon, Akobi's father still there? Thank you.

Akobi is well over 2 years old now and actually has a transfer recommendation to another zoo (not sure if he’s left already). Elgon is still at SDZ and has a breeding recommendation with Akobi’s mom, Mabel.

 

[leo811]

Akobi is well over 2 years old now and actually has a transfer recommendation to another zoo (not sure if he’s left already). Elgon is still at SDZ and has a breeding recommendation with Akobi’s mom, Mabel.

Thank you!

 

[Smaggledagle]

2 pygmy hippos were transferred to Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park in Alto, Michigan.

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[Valentinoamor]

2 pygmy hippos were transferred to Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park in Alto, Michigan.

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It appears that Betty (1976) from Omaha has been transferred there. People kept mentioning Betty, but the other was not named.

 

[CleZooMan]

Does anyone have any information re: pygmy hippos at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo? I know the zoo once had several, including Wolee (a Liberian-born pygmy hippo who moved to the Oklahoma City Zoo in 1999 and died there in 2020 at age 45) and Mushka, who I believe died of pneumonia in 2006. Any information about pygmy hippos there?