The calf, which has not yet been named or sexed, arrived nearly three weeks ago. Unknown outside West Africa until the 1800s and brought to zoos in the early 20th century, pygmy hippos reproduce well in captivity and the majority of study comes from zoo specimens.
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A week-old rare pygmy hippo, who was the first of its kind born at the San Diego Zoo in more than a decade, died Friday, zoo officials said. The zoo’s hippo house will reopen to the public soon following a period of closure to let Sirana and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation settle down into their new parenting roles.
The pygmy hippo is threatened in the wild, where it is thought less than 2,000 survive.
When the zoo announced the hippo’s birth, no health issues were reported.
In Liberia, destruction of forests surrounding the Sapo National Park by logging companies is damaging one of the few remaining strongholds for the pygmy hippo.
The baby animal was part of the smallest species of hippos, which are listed as endangered.
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“The European programme is a well-established and very successful programme and our male, Nato, is a genetically important animal; by default, so will be his offspring”, the spokeswoman added.
