News and Stories

“When Hippos Fly” team ready to reach new heights next Saturday 

CINCINNATI, OH (August 1, 2025) – Straight from the savannas of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, team “When Hippos Fly” will charge into the Red Bull Flugtag with one bold mission: to make the impossible happen—launching a hippo into flight! The crew of animal lovers and conservationists is trading in their safari boots for flight suits, channeling the unstoppable spirit of Sam the Bald Eagle and Fiona the Hippo into a gravity-defying, one-of-a-kind flying craft. 

Photos  

“Sam flew at select games at Great American Ballpark for twenty years before retiring last year, and he is well known around here,” said Cincinnati Zoo’s Flugtag team captain Kim Denzler. “It seemed fitting to make him the face of our craft, especially since he was injured in the wild and could not fly, only glide, just like our flying craft!” 

Denzler, who is Cincinnati Zoo’s digital solutions manager when she isn’t working on flight plans, is more familiar with Sam that most.  Her father, Gary Denzler, worked with birds at the Zoo, including Sam, for 50 years before retiring.  He is also a sculptor and created the bust of Martha the Passenger Pigeon that sits outside of her memorial on the Zoo’s main loop. 

 “Dad was a great resource for this project!  He offered a lot of advice during the design and construction phase,” said Denzler.  “He also arranged for our team pilot, who is a zookeeper in our Children’s Zoo, to get some airtime in a real Cub airplane so she could get an idea of what it will feel like when she’s flying over the Ohio River!” 

She will be seated in the base of the plane, which is built to look like Fiona the Hippo.  Fiona captured hearts all over the world when she was born prematurely and had to fight to survive.  It’s fitting for the first premature hippo known to survive to also be the first to fly! 

The planning and construction of this unique craft took months.  Materials include bamboo that was grown on Zoo grounds, thus aligning with the Zoo’s focus on sustainability. 

Members of the public can help the Zoo team win the fan-favorite prize by voting here. The Zoo Crew would also love to have people there to cheer them on! The event starts at noon on August 9 at Sawyer Point.