Visitors to the Montgomery Zoo can now get their first look at the zoo’s newest pygmy hippopotamus calf.
Ronda, a five-month-old female, was moved to the Pygmy Hippo Nursing Suite in the South American Realm of the Zoo last week, along with her mother, Asali.
The pygmy hippo is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The World Conservation Union estimates that less than 3,000 pygmy hippos remain in the wild.
The pygmy hippopotamus, cousin of the much larger common hippopotamus, is native to the forests and swamps of western Africa, according to a news release from the Montgomery Zoo. The pygmy hippo is semi-aquatic and relies on proximity to water to maintain moisturized skin and a cool body temperature. The pygmy hippo is reclusive, nocturnal, and difficult to study in the wild, according to the zoo, but has a history of breeding well in captivity.
Pygmy hippos grow to about half the height and one quarter of the weight of their larger cousins, typically reaching about 30-32 inches in height, 59-70 inches in length, and 400-600 pounds.
Ronda is the seventh pygmy hippo born in the last eight years at the Montgomery Zoo. The others – Meela in 2023, Hadari in 2022, Betty Rose and Blanche in 2019, Monty in 2016 and Levi in 2018 – have all been placed at other zoos.
Visitors can see the Montgomery Zoo’s other adult pygmy hippopotamuses in their permanent exhibit in the Africa realm of the Zoo.
