After a year of welcoming her new little brother Fritz, Fiona — the Cincinnati Zoo’s superstar hippopotamus — celebrated her sixth birthday with a cake befitting the occasion.
The often-viral hippo – who has over 17,000 followers on Instagram – enjoyed a birthday cake made with frozen fruit and whipped yogurt icing.
She starts on the outside with some of the cake dressing before diving right in and devouring the rest while viewers chant “Happy Birthday.”
At six, Fiona is now in the age range of four to seven when female hippos are considered adults.
After a year of welcoming her new little brother Fritz, Fiona — the Cincinnati Zoo’s superstar hippopotamus — celebrated her sixth birthday with a cake befitting the occasion
Mark Tewes, the Cincinnati zoo keeper, told WMUR, “We see Fiona coming to maturity as an adult hippopotamus.”
However, the cake may help achieve one of Tewes and the zoo’s goals for the hippopotamus this year.
“She’s pretty much just a regular hippo at this point, luckily we’re still looking for her to put on a bit of weight, she’s still more on the smaller end.”
Fiona is believed to be the smallest hippopotamus that has ever survived. She became a global celebrity after she was born on January 24, 2017 weighing just 29 pounds.
That’s well below the average birth weight range of 55 to 120 pounds.
In 2020, Cincinnati Zoo Director Thayne Maynard said, “Fiona won the hearts of Cincinnatians as she struggled to survive after being born six weeks premature and terribly underweight.
“Three years later, people around the world are still crazy about this normal, healthy hippopotamus.”
The often-viral hippo – who has over 17,000 followers on Instagram – enjoyed a birthday cake made with frozen fruit and whipped yogurt icing
She starts on the outside with some of the cake dressing before diving right in and devouring the rest while viewers chant “Happy Birthday.”
Fiona became a viral superstar when she was born in 2017
He said, “She taught us a lot.”
A zoo employee hand-milked her mother, Bibi, and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington helped develop a special formula. Nurses from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital were recruited to insert a Hippo IV.
He continued: “We were a nervous wreck every day.”
The zoo has released a book about Fiona to tell children the story of survival against all odds.
It also includes lots of facts about hippos including the fact that they are herbivores but can be dangerous to humans as they are fast and weigh up to 5,000 pounds.
Fiona, pictured, is world famous after surviving her six-week premature birth and requiring ground-breaking care involving nurses from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
In 2021, Fiona was caught napping underwater in her tank – and snoring bubbles
He added: “Part of the zoo’s mission is public education. (The book) reaches children and families with a message of hope…never give up.”
In 2022, Fiona met her day-old baby brother for the first time.
Fritz was born less than a month ago at the Cincinnati, Ohio Zoo. Footage posted by zoo keepers shows its glossy pink skin, which is as smooth as silk.
But older sister Fiona doesn’t seem jealous of the attention Fritz gets from her mother Bibi.
In fact, she seems delighted as she greets the new family member from her cage.
They were then filmed swimming together and playing outdoors.
Zoo keeper Christina Gorsuch said: “This first meeting went very well. [Mom] Bibi was adequately protective of Fritz but was not aggressive towards Fiona.
“The exposure was short but a great first step.
[Fiona] took her hints from her mother… and backed away when Fritz got almost close enough for a nose nudge.
“We will continue to bring Fiona, Fritz and Bibi together for short periods of time until we are sure the three are comfortable.
“The next step will then be adding [father] Tucker to the mix. We don’t have an exact timeline as to when that will happen.’
Last year Fiona was filmed napping underwater in her tank – and snoring bubbles.
Hippos can close their nostrils and hold their breath for more than five minutes while submerged, and even sleep underwater.
The massive herbivores use a reflex that causes them to stand up for air without waking up.