Highlights

Zoo Santo Inácio has once again been honored with the birth of a Pygmy Hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis), which is classified as “Endangered” by the IUCN and it is estimated that there are less than 2,500 individuals of this species in the world.

After 188 days of gestation, the male calf was born on 13 February, weighing approximately 7.4 kg. A month later, he already weighed 18 kg. The son of Romina and Kibwana, the new member of the family is called Roki and it was kept for around five months in its indoor accommodation (not visible to the public) to receive the maternal care required in the first few months of life, as well as adapting to life in the water.

The Pygmy Hippo species is part of the European Endangered Species Preservation Programme (EEP) of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), so the birth of this male calf is essential for the continuity and conservation of the species on a global scale, considering that only one in ten births result in males. 

This is the fourth offspring of this breeding couple, playing a very important role in the EEP Programme.