Just over three weeks ago, the Zoological Society of London’s Whipsnade Zoo welcomed the most adorable belated Christmas present into their facility: a baby pygmy hippo.
The blessed event felt particularly momentous considering the little guy’s mother, a 28-year-old hippo named Flora, has been battling a cancerous tumor in her mouth for the last year. The zoo reports that her treatments have been going well and that they had no effect on her delivering a healthy baby boy.
Born on December 26th, the labor took six hours with the newborn weighing in at about 15 pounds.
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The shortage of male pygmy hippos in the European Endangered Species Breeding Program makes this little cutie even more important than he knows.
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Though Flora is still dealing with her tumor, she has reportedly been as attentive as ever with her third and final calf.
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Watch the video to see how the tyke takes a swim and spends quality time with his patient mom.
(source YouTube)
Pygmy hippos are classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, so mothers like Flora contribute to the protection and growth of their species. She’s clearly done an amazing job.
