GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A big day in my neighborhood of Grand Rapids. John Ball Zoo revealed the gender of the Pygmy Hippo born last week.
The father had knocked the watermelon inside the exhibit behind the table out of view. For one minute, everyone was on pins and needles trying to see what color it was on the inside.
Eventually, Jahari revealed that he and Penelope had a boy!
“I’m excited. I'm really glad it's a boy,” Kate Sumbler, who came from metro Detroit, said.
WATCH REVEAL HERE
Sumbler and Natalie Michaels came from metro Detroit to see the big reveal. They both are part of a Facebook group that shares updates on Pygmy Hippos.
“So happy for John Ball Zoo, so happy for Penelope and Jahari. Congratulations,” Michaels said.
This new addition to the John Ball Zoo is a critical part of the conservation efforts for the species at zoos nationwide.
“There tends to be a bigger number of females that are born to males. So the population skews towards females. So the fact that he is a male is actually a good thing for the population,” John Ball Zoo Senior Zookeeper Stacy Laberde told me.
The zookeeper says the little one is getting bigger by the day. Laberde added he was 11 lbs when he was born and is already up to 14 lbs.
Now, many are wondering when they will be able to see the little guy at the exhibit and his name. Both answers are currently unknown, but the zoo has installed a camera. You can see him here.
As the zoo looks to the future of conservation efforts, the zoo staff also wants to let mom and son bond.
“We’re trying to get her to be able to be acclimated to being a mom and knowing how to care. We just want to ensure that she's not getting too stressed with all the noise and everything happening outside. So we're kind of taking things step by step,” Laberde said.
