Endangered pygmy hippo calf born at Toronto Zoo

Toronto Zoo said on Wednesday that 20-year-old pygmy hippo Kindia gave birth to a female calf on Sunday morning, adding a new animal to one of the world’s smaller captive populations of an endangered species. The calf was born at the zoo’s Little Hippo Hollow area after staff saw signs of labour at about 8:15 a.m. on August 2, according to the zoo. Tiny feet appeared around 12:15 p.m., and the calf was delivered after about 1.5 hours of active labour, the zoo said. Both mother and calf are doing well and are being kept behind the scenes while staff monitor them by camera, the zoo said. ### How did the birth unfold? Toronto Zoo said Kindia began showing signs of labour at about 8:15 a.m. on Sunday, August 2. The zoo said the calf started trying to stand about 15 minutes after birth and was moving around the space within a few hours. Staff saw the calf nursing about 4.5 hours after birth and again overnight through remote monitoring, according to the zoo. (torontozoo.com) CityNews and other Canadian outlets, citing the zoo’s release, reported the same sequence: labour began in the morning, the calf was delivered healthy after roughly 90 minutes of active labour, and early nursing was observed later that day. ### Who are the parents, and why was this pairing notable? (torontozoo.com) Kindia is a 20-year-old female pygmy hippopotamus, and Harvey is a 31-year-old male at the Toronto Zoo, the zoo said. The zoo said the pair was introduced for eight days in January, and that introduction resulted in the pregnancy and birth announced this week. (toronto.citynews.ca) Global News reported in April that Kindia was then about halfway through her pregnancy and had previously delivered a calf in 2018. The zoo’s August release said this is Kindia’s third calf and described her as an attentive mother. ### Why are zoo staff being cautious in the first days? Toronto Zoo said calf survival for pygmy hippos can be challenging, even though Kindia successfully raised her daughter Penelope in 2018. (torontozoo.com) The zoo said staff will keep monitoring mother and calf around the clock during the first days to make sure they continue to progress well together. (globalnews.ca) The zoo has not put the calf on public view. Little Hippo Hollow, where Kindia and the calf are resting, is not accessible to visitors, and the zoo said the pair is spending time bonding behind the scenes. ### How endangered are pygmy hippos in the wild? Toronto Zoo said pygmy hippos are listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List and that about 2,000 to 3,000 individuals are believed to remain in the wild. (torontozoo.com) The species is native to West Africa and depends on dense forest and swamp habitat, according to the zoo. The zoo said habitat loss from logging, mining, agriculture and human settlement, along with hunting pressure, continues to threaten wild populations. On its species page, the zoo says pygmy hippos are found mainly in Liberia, with smaller numbers in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast. (torontozoo.com) ### What does the zoo say this birth contributes to? Dolf DeJong, the Toronto Zoo’s chief executive, said in the zoo’s release that welcoming a pygmy hippo calf is “far more than a celebration of new life.” He said the birth reflects the role of accredited zoos in conservation, scientific collaboration and maintaining healthy populations that support the species’ long-term survival. (torontozoo.com) Toronto Zoo said researchers from IBREAM and Ivorian colleagues at CSRS are studying pygmy hippos in Ivory Coast using camera traps and detection dogs. The zoo linked the calf’s birth to that broader conservation work and to its mission to connect visitors with species at risk. ### When might the public see more of the calf? (torontozoo.com) Toronto Zoo said it will continue to monitor Kindia and the calf closely in the coming days. The zoo’s public-facing update includes video from the birth announcement, and further updates are expected through the zoo’s media and social channels as staff track the calf’s health, nursing and bonding. (torontozoo.com)