Cincinnati's First Family

Among fans of the Cincinnati Zoo - or internet users in general - some of the most anticipated news of the year came on August 3, with the birth of a healthy male hippo calf to parents Bibi and Tucker.  The calf, named Fritz, is the half-sibling of the world's most famous hippo, Fiona, who is still in residence at the zoo.  Fiona became a social media sensation as viewers around the world watched, captivated, as the severely premature calf waged her unlikely battle for survival, eventually becoming the darling of the zoo.

Cincinnati's hippo exhibit isn't enormously large, nor is there a super abundance of off-exhibit holding, as is often the case with habitats.  As such, the staff have been trying to strike a delicate balance.  On one hand, introductions between animals can be a delicate process that shouldn't be needlessly rushed, especially when there is such a tremendous size discrepancy between some of the animals involved and considerable potential for injury.  On the other hand, as soon as everyone is introduced and integrated, everyone in the social group gets to spend more time in the habitat and less in holding, improving everyone's individual welfare.

Photo Credit: Cincinnati Zoo

Fritz, unlike Fiona, came out as a full-term calf, so his milestones have come much more rapidly than hers did.  He and Bibi are already out on exhibit for part of each day, him dutifully swimming by her side (baby Nile hippos are usually born in the water).  Introductions with Fiona have already begun.  Long-time Fiona fans have expressed some anguish watching the intros - the spunky young calf is obviously intimidated by her mother, who is trying to keep some distance between her two offspring, and probably doesn't completely understand why, it seems, she is being pushed away.  As Fritz grows and Fiona learns the rules of interactions, hopefully things will settle down a bit.  Eventually, Tucker may be added to the mix.

Lots of visitors love the hippos, but few really understand their social dynamics - they see what they project onto the hippos and what they want to see, rather than what necessarily is the case, or what natural hippo behavior is.  This will probably come painfully to a head when the time comes for a hippo - probably Fritz - to move on out and go to another zoo.  I can see a lot of anguish at the thought of the hippo family being separated, though that's how life goes for most animals.  Few species have parent-offspring cohabitation for life.

Of course, that's nothing compared to the outcry we'd see if Fiona ever left the zoo.  I really think Cincinnati might burn to the ground in that case...