Adorable baby hippo born 6 weeks early makes progress with pool noodle help
Calf underweight, but making strides toward health, zoo says
Amanda Cochran, Digital Special Projects Manager
CINCINNATI, Ohio – A baby hippo who was born 6 weeks early at the Cincinnati Zoo is making progress.
The zoo said the premature calf is below weight for a calf her age, but she is starting to make progress with the bottle.
In its daily updates on the baby animal, the zoo said keepers are using pool noodles to help with her balance when she is in the water. The zoo wrote on its Facebook page: “She was able to stand without the noodles, holding her own weight, and even dipped her face underwater and blew bubbles. The 6-week premature calf is still struggling with bottle feeding but has started to suckle a bit.”
Baby hippo got lots of sound sleep last night and was doing well in the pool this morning. Her care team has been supporting her with pool noodles in the water to help with balance. She was able to stand without the noodles, holding her own weight, and even dipped her face under water and blew bubbles. The six-week premature calf is still struggling with bottle feeding but has started to suckle a bit. Link to previous hippo baby updates: http://cincinnatizoo.org/blog/2017/01/25/premature-hippo-baby-updates/