A rare female pygmy hippo calf has taken her first steps at the Toronto Zoo, giving conservationists a reason to celebrate the birth of an endangered animal.
The calf's 20-year-old mother, Kindia, gave birth last Sunday morning after 1.5 hours of active labor. Within just 15 minutes of birth, the calf began trying to stand up, and a few hours later, she was walking around and nursing successfully.
Zoo staff have not named the newborn yet, but they report that both mother and baby are doing well. The calf is Kindia's third baby, following a successful pregnancy after she was paired with a 31-year-old male hippo named Harvey in January.
Adult pygmy hippos stand only about 2.5 feet tall and weigh between 330 and 660 pounds. Native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, their wild population has dropped to between 2,000 and 3,000 animals because of logging, mining, and human settlement. Zoo officials say that care for the newborn will be continuous during these initial days to support the long-term survival of the species.