The Berlin Zoo is celebrating the birth of an adorable Pygmy Hippo whose videos are already going viral, and now they need help in choosing a name.
On June 28, 2024, the official account for the Berlin Zoo (@zooberlin) shared a video on Instagram that had everyone falling in love with a baby hippo. Take a look!
In a sweet follow-up video, we meet the baby hippo born at Berlin Zoo.
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"Our baby hippo is breaking all the records!" the video caption shared. "The first bath of the little one has already reached over 16 million fans on social media."
This video is about the first clip of the new baby hippo the zoo shared a few days prior, in which they were giving the little hippo a bath. It touched hearts and went mega viral, and one common question was asked that the zoo wants to help answer now.
"No surprise that we’ve been receiving daily requests for a name for our Happy Hippo," the caption continued.
And they're now asking for help from everyone. "Now it’s your turn! Until July 5th, you can submit your name suggestions in the comments on our social media channels, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok."
They then gave a tip to help people narrow down some great suggestions on a perfect name for the little Pygmy Hippo.
"Here’s a tip: short names with a Berlin connection are particularly liked by the zoo jury," the zoo wrote. "We look forward to your suggestions!"
A lot of baby name suggestions rolled in from the comments. And they're all over the place.
Some baby name suggestions included Rosie, Lütte, Fanny, Hildegard, Rosa, Angi, Gloria, and Brötchen just to name a few.
On June 19, the Berlin Zoo shared a video of their newest Pygmy Hippo getting a bath with the help of a zoo caretaker. "Bathing time for our hippo!" the video's caption shared.
"Our youngest Pygmy Hippopotamus enjoys a little bathing session every day. This helps our Hippo team to protect the little one's sensitive skin from drying out," the video continued sharing.
"And no, no washing-up liquid is used in the shower: pygmy hippos produce a slimy secretion that protects the animals from sunlight. The water makes the secretion whitish and foamy."
Pygmy Hippopotamus Are Endangered
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ), Pygmy Hippos are considered endangered due to their decreasing population numbers, which have been dropping since the mid-80s, when they were first listed as "vulnerable."
The species' numbers dropped further in 2006 when the IUCN officially changed its assessment status to endangered, where it has remained ever since.
The drop has primarily been attributed to habitat loss. "Large areas of the original forest habitat, especially in Côte d'Ivoire, have been destroyed or degraded by commercial plantations of oil palm and other products, shifting cultivation, mining, and logging, and hunting for bushmeat is increasing throughout the range," the IUCN writes.
"The present size of the global population is unknown, but it is widely considered to be declining based on the evidence of the rate of conversion of forest habitat in the range, reports of poaching and the reduced densities," the organization adds.
Any new Pygmy Hippos in the world is a good thing, and we're excited to watch the newest one at Berlin Zoo grow!
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