Rare pygmy hippo makes debut in Tampa
There are fewer than 3,000 left in the wild.
The Lowry Park Zoo is celebrating an early holiday gift this season: the birth of a rare pygmy hippopotamus.
The female calf, who weighed only 10 pounds when she was born just before 
Thanksgiving, is thriving at the Tampa zoo. She's the second baby for mother Zsa Zsa.
This kind of hippo is much smaller than its relative, the Nile hippo. When it's full grown, an adult pygmy hippo stands only about 3 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs between 350 and 550 pounds.
"With fewer than 3,000 pigmy hippos in the wild, each birth is vital if we have any hope of saving this truly unique species,” says Dr. Larry Killmar, the zoo's vice president of animal science and conservation.
The calf doesn't have a name yet, but the zoo just closed a naming contest that invited fans to pick one of three monikers: Zawadi ("gift"), Zola ("to love") or Zuri ("beautiful"). Stay tuned, and we'll let you know which name got the most votes!
Photo: David Parkinson
Bing: Get the latest zoo news.
More from Vetstreet:
10 most popular kitten names of 2012
Boy pens heartbreaking letter after shelter mistakenly euthanizes his cat
10 cat and dog breeds with magical beginnings
5 dog breeds losing popularity
Only three types of dogs need sweaters
pics, advice, info and stories for pet lovers
-
13 celebrities who speak for animals
With all the glitz and glamour that comes out of Tinseltown (not to mention the endless tabloid fodder), it's not always obvious that many celebrities are animal lovers, too.
-
20 hottest dog breeds
From designer crosses to giant breeds, we scoured Vetstreet's data of millions of dog breeds to determine the trendiest breeds of the past decade.
-
Why does my pet...?
Do you ever wonder why your dog and cat act the way they do?
-
Puppy survives alone in car for a month
Tow lot employee finds abandoned pup.
-
10 reasons pets make better partners than people
Animals, says Dr. Patty Khuly, are the best listeners in the world and don’t care that you’ve just been dumped or laid off.
-
How to break 7 common bad dog habits
"No! Bad dog!" How many times have you scolded your misbehaving canine with those words? Probably too many. But before you fly off the handle, one of the most important things to understand about correcting bad behavior is that punishment doesn't work.
-
Should your pets ride loose in the car?
Your dog loves sticking his head out the window, but imagine the tragic results of disregarding his (or your) safety.
-
How this vet talks to kids about pet death
Death is a natural part of life, but it's never easy to understand. Here are some tips when the time comes to talk to your kids about pets passing.
-
Dog vs. cat: which pet is better?
Are you a 'dog person' or 'cat person'?
-
8 most wrinkled dog breeds
Whether they're on small pups like the Pug or huge ones like the Mastiff, adorable wrinkles are the envy of many a dog lover — which is exactly why we set out in search of the canine world's most wrinkled breeds.
-
Top 11 questions you should ask yourself before you adopt a pet
Adopting an animal is a major commitment. Yet all too often people put more effort into researching what kind of car to get than the type of pet that would best fit their lifestyle.
-
20 animals that are going extinct
From certain species of butterflies, zebras to horses and cockatoos, you might be surprised that some of our favorite creatures are dying out.
