Fiona’s greatest hits: 3 years of sassy hippo bliss – WLWT Cincinnati

Posted: January 8, 2020 at 5:43 pm

Cincinnati's thousand-pound toddler turns 3 years old this January, overcoming every obstacle thrown her way.Fiona the hippo will celebrate her third birthday this month. It's a big deal for the half-ton of pure hippo sass, considering she weighed a fifth of what a normal baby hippo should weigh when she was born Jan. 24, 2017."Fiona is remarkable for being unremarkable now," said Cincinnati Zoo curator of mammals Christina Gorsuch. "She's just like most other 2-year-old hippos, except for the fact that she's a celebrity in Cincinnati and beyond!"Fiona weighed 29 pounds when she was born, which is about 25 pounds lighter than the lowest recorded birth weight for this species. The normal range is 55-120 pounds.She has become an ambassador for her species and a great example of why zoos exist. She survived because of her animal care team's tireless efforts to save her and has inspired many to care about her species and wildlife, which is Cincinnati Zoo's mission.She now weights well over 1,000 pounds. Once Cincinnati's little baby, the hippo has reached a certain level of maturity as she nears three as her tusks begin to come in.But don't worry, Cincinnati. She's not old enough to date yet.She needs to be at least 5 before she starts thinking about boys, according to Wendy Rice, the head keeper at Cincinnati Zoo's Africa Department.And although she has hippo admirers across the country, Rice said Fiona is still a few years away from picking up a boyfriend.Of those hippo admirers, one such hippo is still laying it on thick. Timothy, a 3-year-old hippo from San Antonio, still pens Fiona weekly love notes on Facebook.But what ultimately will decide Fiona's potential future romance? It may not be cute love notes."The genetics are basically what's going to matter most," Rice said. "If and when Fiona were to get a breeding recommendation someday, it would be based entirely on who was genetically the best match for her -- that may or may not be Timothy."Fiona's genes are valuable in the world of Nile hippopotamuses. And eventually, Rice said the goal is to have Fiona breed if she can. But we're talking way down the road, when Fiona is at least 5 years old.What happens then?"We obviously don't want her going anywhere," Rice said. "We love her. She's our baby and this hometown loves her. We're fairly certain people would riot if we said Fiona was leaving. We're hopeful that if she gets a breeding recommendation, that a male would be brought here for her so she wouldn't have to leave Cincinnati."

Cincinnati's thousand-pound toddler turns 3 years old this January, overcoming every obstacle thrown her way.

Fiona the hippo will celebrate her third birthday this month. It's a big deal for the half-ton of pure hippo sass, considering she weighed a fifth of what a normal baby hippo should weigh when she was born Jan. 24, 2017.

"Fiona is remarkable for being unremarkable now," said Cincinnati Zoo curator of mammals Christina Gorsuch. "She's just like most other 2-year-old hippos, except for the fact that she's a celebrity in Cincinnati and beyond!"

Fiona weighed 29 pounds when she was born, which is about 25 pounds lighter than the lowest recorded birth weight for this species. The normal range is 55-120 pounds.

She has become an ambassador for her species and a great example of why zoos exist. She survived because of her animal care team's tireless efforts to save her and has inspired many to care about her species and wildlife, which is Cincinnati Zoo's mission.

She now weights well over 1,000 pounds. Once Cincinnati's little baby, the hippo has reached a certain level of maturity as she nears three as her tusks begin to come in.

But don't worry, Cincinnati. She's not old enough to date yet.

She needs to be at least 5 before she starts thinking about boys, according to Wendy Rice, the head keeper at Cincinnati Zoo's Africa Department.

And although she has hippo admirers across the country, Rice said Fiona is still a few years away from picking up a boyfriend.

Of those hippo admirers, one such hippo is still laying it on thick. Timothy, a 3-year-old hippo from San Antonio, still pens Fiona weekly love notes on Facebook.

But what ultimately will decide Fiona's potential future romance? It may not be cute love notes.

"The genetics are basically what's going to matter most," Rice said. "If and when Fiona were to get a breeding recommendation someday, it would be based entirely on who was genetically the best match for her -- that may or may not be Timothy."

Fiona's genes are valuable in the world of Nile hippopotamuses. And eventually, Rice said the goal is to have Fiona breed if she can. But we're talking way down the road, when Fiona is at least 5 years old.

What happens then?

"We obviously don't want her going anywhere," Rice said. "We love her. She's our baby and this hometown loves her. We're fairly certain people would riot if we said Fiona was leaving. We're hopeful that if she gets a breeding recommendation, that a male would be brought here for her so she wouldn't have to leave Cincinnati."

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Fiona's greatest hits: 3 years of sassy hippo bliss - WLWT Cincinnati

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