News and Stories

Every year, the Cincinnati Zoo celebrates World Hippo Day—a day dedicated to our favorite massive, water-loving mammals: hippos! It’s a celebration of these incredible creatures and the vital conservation work that goes into protecting them.

We asked hippo zookeeper Jacey for some updates about Cincinnati Zoo’s bloat!

Favorite Foods

Fritz doesn’t like tomatoes and citrus.

Bibi and Fiona love eating everything, but lettuce and melons remain their favorites.

Tucker’s favorites are probably melons and squash (pumpkins, acorn, butternut). He is pretty indifferent about anything else, but will choose hay over anything 99% of the time (he will spit out produce to eat his hay!).

Training

Fritz is learning how to stand still for blood draws. As he gets bigger, he has to relearn a new approach so keepers can reach his tail! This helps the care team get important health information without causing stress. 

The team is hoping to collect blood this year. The Cincinnati Zoo would be the first Zoo that we’re aware of to have successfully collected blood on a male hippo from the tail.

Tucker is back to getting weekly tusk trims! Learn more

Bloat Updates

Fritz is still being a classic little brother! He loves to pester Fiona, eat, sleep and play! His love of toys persists and he even broke a heavy-duty toy!

Hippo News

Tucker

You can tell sweet Tucker apart by his large size and his recognizable pink markings! Tucker is a gentle giant and has been such a wonderful addition to our bloat.

21 years old

4,707 pounds

Bibi

Bibi is the boss of Hippo Cove! Bibi helped Zoo scientists capture the world’s first ultrasound image of a Nile hippo fetus when she was pregnant with Fiona!

26 years old

3,500 pounds

Fiona

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.

8 years old

2,500 pounds

Fritz

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.

2 years old

1,535 pounds

Hippo Conservation

Interest in the Nile hippo and protecting its habitat in Africa benefits all species, many critically endangered, that share their ecosystem. Fiona and her bloat-mates have had a huge impact within our Cincinnati and zoo community and on her wild hippo counterparts.

Her influence as an ambassador has raised awareness for her species and helped the Cincinnati Zoo raise funds to support conservation efforts in Africa.

Fifty percent of all proceeds from the “Hanging with Hippos” and “Hippo Barn Tours” behind-the-scenes tours go to conservation projects selected by the hippo conservation team. The funds that we’ve raised are used to make a tangible difference for hippos in Uganda. Our bloat even funded a boat for rangers protecting hippos in the wild!