Photo: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Over the past few months, belovedCincinnati ZooresidentFiona the hippohas formed a tight bond with her new roomie — a named male hippoTucker.
“Fiona and Tucker are doing fantastic. They’re buds,” a senior keeper and one of Fiona’s primary caretakers, Jenna Wingate, toldWLWTon Tuesday.
Wingate added that the 4-year-old female hippo — born six weeks prematurely and 25 pounds lighter than the lowest recorded weight for her species — may have even come on a little too strong toward 18-year-old Tucker when the animals first met.
“Fiona definitely found a lot of interest in him and gave him a lot of attention, and it was kind of maybe bugging him a little bit when he first got here,” the senior keeper admitted.
After meeting in September, the hippos got used to having each other around and have acclimated to a new family dynamic, according to Wingate.
“These days, she’s back to her normal self, entertaining the guests, taking naps with him and Bibi, and doing really well,” she said of Fiona.
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
The zoo introduced Tucker to Fiona and her mom Bibi nearly four years after Fiona’s dad Henry died from health complications. Tucker arrived at the facility from San Francisco after experts recommended he be Bibi’s new companion following Henry’s death.
The mom and daughter duo eagerly welcomed Tucker into their hippo pod.
“We planned to just let Tucker explore the outdoor habitat today and were going to introduce him to Bibi tomorrow and Fiona on Wednesday,” Christina Gorsuch, the Cincinnati Zoo’s director of animal care, said in a September news release about the mother-daughter pair meeting Tucker. “But, Tucker seemed immediately at home in the outdoor pool, and the girls were vocalizing from inside to express interest. So, we followed their lead and put all three out together.”
Fiona’s dad Henry died in October 2017 after the zoo decided to humanely euthanize the 36-year-old hippo following his long battle with a chronicinfection and abnormal kidney function.
“Vets and his care team worked tirelessly to keep him comfortable and help him fight this illness. Nothing — antibiotics, favorite foods, extra TLC — seemed to turn his condition around,” Cincinnati Zoo director of animal care Christina Gorsuch said in a news release shortly after Henry’s death. “We are all so sad to lose him. Everyone loved him. He was a sweet, gentle giant with a big personality.”
source: people.com
