After 188 days of gestation, the male calf was born on 13 February, weighing approximately 7.4 kilos. A month later, the son of Romina and Kibwana already weighed 18 kilos.

In a statement, Santo Inácio Zoo explains that this pygmy hippopotamus was kept away from the public to receive the maternal care required in the first months of life, as well as to adapt to life in the water, a characteristic of this species.

This is the fourth calf of this breeding couple, who are also grandparents of at least two animals in other zoos.

The pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) is included in the European Endangered Species Conservation Programme (EEP) of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA).

It is estimated that there are fewer than 2,500 animals of this species in the world.


For this reason, the Santo Inácio Zoo considers the birth of a male calf to be “fundamental for the continuity and conservation of the species on a global scale”.

“Only one in 10 births result in males”, highlights the zoo, with director Teresa Guedes classifying this birth as “particularly special”.

“It is estimated that there are fewer than 2,500 pygmy hippos in the world, with the species classified as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN. Each new life represents an opportunity to guarantee the future of the species and shows that we are on the right track in our commitment to conserving species, especially those threatened with extinction”, says Teresa Guedes, quoted in the press release.

Originally from Liberia and Ivory Coast, pygmy hippos are on the verge of extinction “especially due to deforestation, where the forests in their historical range are constantly exploited, cultivated, converted into plantations (rubber, coffee and palm oil) and colonized”.