Baby hippo born at Dallas Zoo
DALLAS - The Dallas Zoo has welcomed a new baby hippo.
Hippo mom Boipelo gave birth to a Nile hippopotamus calf Tuesday evening with the animal care team watching the birth on a camera inside the hippo’s barn.
The zoo has not yet announced the baby’s name or gender, but will do so in the next few days.
The two will remain behind the scenes temporarily so they can bond privately.
“We timed Boipelo’s contractions every moment she barrel rolled in the water, and after about 100 rolls, we saw a baby emerge,” said Matt James, Dallas Zoo’s Senior Director of Animal Care.
In February 2018, Boipelo lost her first calf just after delivery. The zoo says the calf was never able to breathe because its lungs were not fully inflating.
Boipelo and male hippo Adhama had been paired together, but Adhama passed away in October.
Another male hippo will be brought in later this year “to replicate the most natural environment for Boipelo.”