Haggis the baby pygmy hippo was born in late October.
Celebrity hippo Moo Deng has some friendly competition. There’s a new pygmy hippo on the block, and she also has a food-themed name. Haggis—named for an offal-based Scottish delicacy—was born on Oct. 30 at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's Edinburgh Zoo. The jiggly, shiny baby is a welcome ray of light for an endangered species.
The Edinburgh Zoo formally announced the calf on Nov. 4. Her parents are Otto and Gloria. “Haggis is doing really well so far and it is amazing to see her personality beginning to shine already,” said hoofstock team leader Jonny Appleyard in a statement. The “hoofstock” category of animals covers more than just horses or cows. Hippos have fingernail-like hooves on their webbed feet.
Two-month-old pygmy hippo Moo Deng with her keeper at Khao Kheow Open Zoo. (Photo by Carola ... [+]
Pygmy hippos became a viral sensation thanks to Moo Deng, a baby born at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand in July. Moo Deng means "bouncy pork." The sassy pink-and-gray calf quickly took over the internet as the zoo shared videos of Moo Deng biting her keepers and bathing in streams of water. She’s charismatic, cute and constantly shiny thanks to goo-excreting mucus glands all over her body. She’s inspired memes, a controversial Saturday Night Live parody and TikTok makeup tutorials.
Moo Deng’s viral celebrity has made the Khao Kheow Open Zoo a popular destination for hippo-gawkers. Don’t rush over to the Edinburgh Zoo, though. You won’t get a chance to see Haggis just yet. The zoo has closed the pygmy hippo area to zoo visitors for the baby’s first month. That allows zookeepers to keep a close eye on both Haggis and her mom.
Pygmy hippos are native to forested areas of West Africa and are much smaller than a regular, full-size hippo. The nocturnal animals’ secretive nature means little is known about how they behave in the wild. Babies can weigh as little as 10 pounds, according to the Pygmy Hippo Foundation conservation group, and wean from their mothers at around six to eight months.
The Edinburgh Zoo posted a short video of tiny Haggis to social media showing a keeper interacting with her. It gives you a good idea of her small size. The baby’s head isn’t much bigger than the keeper’s hand.
It will be hard to reach the soaring levels of Moo Deng’s internet and real-life popularity, but Haggis is riding a wave of interest in the fascinating and enigmatic mammals. It brings attention to the plight of a species under extreme pressure. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species classifies pygmy hippos as endangered, with about 2,500 animals estimated to still live in the wild. The small hippos face many pressures, including loss of habitat, hunting and human intrusion into their environment.
The birth of a pygmy hippo baby is a reason to celebrate considering the dwindling population. “While Thailand’s Moo Deng has become a viral global icon, it is important to remember that pygmy hippos are incredibly rare,” Appleyard said. “It is great to have our own little ambassador right here in Edinburgh to connect with our visitors and help raise awareness of the challenges the species face in the wild.”
