A zookeeper at Dickerson Park Zoo just returned from Cincinnati where he got to meet Henry’s daughter, Fiona.
Henry, a Nile hippopotamus, was moved to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden last June to breed with Bibi, a female hippo relocated from the St. Louis Zoo. According to Dickerson Park Zoo, Henry was a longtime resident of Dickerson Park Zoo, and Tracy Campbell was one of his primary caretakers for 14 years.
Campbell says interacting with a hand-raised baby hippo was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he’s pleased with the progress she’s made. He describes her as “active, inquisitive and playful with a touch of naughtiness.”
Fiona became an internet sensation after she was born six weeks early. She was given 24-hour care for the first few weeks of her life and is now being slowly introduced to both of her parents.