News and Stories

Happy World Hippo Day

Happy World Hippo Day! Hippos Tucker, Bibi, Fiona and Fritz make up the bloat at Hippo Cove! To celebrate everyone’s favorite hippos, we wanted to share some fun facts about each one!

Tucker

4500 pounds

20 years old

You can tell sweet Tucker apart by his large size and his recognizable pink markings! We think he is quite the handsome guy with those perfectly pink spots! It is likely genetic and there is a chance that Fritz will have spots like Tucker one day. Tucker is a gentle giant and has been such a wonderful addition to our bloat. He allows Bibi to be in charge and has been respectful and gentle with Fiona and Fritz since day one. He has gained a lot of confidence with his keepers and new training behaviors over the last year.

Bibi

3500 pounds

25 years old

Bibi, mom to Fiona and Fritz, is the boss of Hippo Cove! This super mom helped Zoo scientists capture the world’s first ultrasound image of a Nile hippo fetus when she was pregnant with little Fiona! She also allowed the hippo keepers to milk her after Fiona was born. Some of this milk was fed to Fiona and some of it was sent to the National Zoo’s Exotic Animal Milk Repository where they were able to analyze it and help the zoo come up with a formula made specifically for hippos. This helped save Fiona’s life and can be used to help save any orphaned or premature hippos around the world in the future!

Fiona

2500 pounds

7 years old

Fiona is the most famous hippo in the world! This little hippo made her entrance six weeks early and her care team worked around the clock to keep her alive. Now she is seven years old, thriving and still inspiring her fans to #FightLikeFiona! She is such a good ambassador for her species. Money raised from hippo behind the scenes tours helped the Zoo’s partners in Uganda purchase a new boat to patrol waterways and keep wild hippos and species that share their habitat safe from poachers. Her personality is large just like our love for her!

Fritz

1000 pounds

1.5 years old

Although Fritz is much younger, he has a personality that matches his big sister Fiona! This wild child can be seen making a splash and playing at Hippo Cove! He loves to play with floating logs in his outdoor habitat and big cylinder toys in his indoor pools. He is currently learning training behaviors to help his care team monitor his health. He is a quick learner and so fun to train with! He recently participated in voluntary radiographs like a champ and is currently learning a blood draw behavior. He is usually found pestering Fiona or staying close to his dad Tucker!