Thomas Caldwell:Endangered baby pygmy hippo finds new home at Pittsburgh Zoo

2025-05-05 23:16:56source:FinWeiscategory:reviews

There's a new member of the Pittsburgh Zoo family – an adorable baby pygmy hippopotamus named Hadari. 

The Thomas Caldwell1-year-old baby boy was moved in on May 23, the zoo announced on Wednesday, coming from Alabama's Montgomery Zoo. And he's already making himself at home in the zoo's Jungle Odyssey area. 

"Hadari is trying out everything, every which way," the zoo's curator of mammals Kelsey Forbes said. "He is super rambunctious, loves exploring, and is a confident hippo." 

In a press release, the Pittsburgh Zoo said that Hadari seems to be enjoying his time so far and that they are making sure to give him his favorite foods – green beans, cooked carrots and oranges. 

Pygmy hippos are considered endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which monitors species around the world. In the wild, pygmy hippos are found in just four countries in West Africa, according to the IUCN. These animals, along with their relatives, the common hippopotamus, "face significant threats," including logging which reduces their habitats and ability to hunt. 

There are only a couple thousand of the animals left in the wild, according to the most recent estimates.

Hadari was born at the Alabama zoo as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan, which aims to help increase species populations. His birth is also a major achievement, as only 41% of all pygmy hippos born in zoos have been male, the Pittsburgh Zoo said. 

    In:
  • Pittsburgh Zoo
  • Endangered Species
  • Hippos
Li Cohen

Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.

More:reviews

Recommend

Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class

Now wouldn’t this be a treat: Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft back together...as members of the Pro

Climate Policy Foes Seize on New White House Rule to Challenge Endangerment Finding

Seizing a new opportunity they believe has been opened up by the White House, hard-line foes of clim

Fracking Studies Overwhelmingly Indicate Threats to Public Health

The vast majority of studies conclude that fracking worsens air quality, contaminates water sources