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| Common Name: | Pygmy hippos | Family: | Hippopotamidae |
| Latin Name: | Choeropsis liberiensis | Diet: | Herbivore |
| Type: | Mammal | Habitat: | Tropical rainforests, |
| Native To: | Africa | Social Unit: | Various |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Endangered |
Pygmy hippos at Edinburgh Zoo
Pygmy hippo calf Leishan, photo by
Edinburgh Zoo currently has three pygmy hippos: an adult male, an adult female, and a female calf that was born in December 2011.
Ellen, the adult female, was born at Edinburgh Zoo in January 2005. She was the fourth offspring of Leah, our first female pygmy hippo. Leah left Edinburgh Zoo in 2006 to take part in a new breeding programme in Sweden. Otto, our adult male pygmy hippo, came to us from the Berlin Zoo in 2008. Ellen and Otto got along well, and in June 2009, Ellen gave birth to her first calf. Keepers named the calf “Lieshan.” This means “gift” in West African. This was Ellen’s first time giving birth, and she is proving to be an excellent mum! During summer 2011 Lieshan left our collection for new life in Spain, however we are pleased to report that Ellen has since given birth to another female calf on 31 December 2011. Keepers have named her 'Eve' since she was born on New Year's Eve and both appear to be doing very well.
Our pygmy hippos are fed horse and pony pellets, cabbage, apples, carrots, bananas, and lettuce. This is fed in the evening, and is not a large feed. Hippos do not need a lot of concentrates because they conserve energy by sitting in the water, not being active, during the day. In the wild, they would graze at night, and that is why we feed them in the evening. The hippos have access to hay and or grass all the time.
Where it can be found at Edinburgh Zoo
The pygmy hippo enclosure is located at the centre of the park, just northeast of the Mansion House.
Pygmy hippopotami in the wild
Pygmy hippos are native to West Africa, with the largest population in Liberia. (The second part of their scientific name, Choeropsis liberiensis, means “of Liberia.”) They live in dense forests near rivers and streams. They are good swimmers and have muscular valves that close their ears and nostrils when submerged.
As the name suggests, the pygmy hippo is far smaller than the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious), but this is not their only difference. Pygmy hippos spend much less time in the water than their larger relatives. Unlike the common hippopotamus, pygmy hippos are either solitary or live in small family units. They have large and extremely sharp teeth, which they use for protection. Although they are small, pygmy hippos are very aggressive.
Pygmy hippos are herbivores. They uproot swamp plants, crush hard fruit with their teeth and strip leaves from shrubs and trees. They also eat leaves and grasses. After a gestation period of around 6 months, the female hippo will give birth to a single calf. For the first few weeks, the calf is hidden in bushes as it cannot walk very far. Pygmy hippo calves do not instinctively know how to swim – their mother teaches them how to do this. Mothers defend their calf aggressively and they stay together for at least two years.
Pygmy hippos are facing very serious threats in the wild. Populations are declining rapidly due to habitat destruction caused by logging, farming and human settlement. Pressures from wars in the hippos’ native range are another dire threat. Sadly, pygmy hippos are also increasingly being threatened by bushmeat hunters. For these reasons, the pygmy hippo has been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an Endangered species. This means that the pygmy hippo is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
We are a partner of IBREAM (Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals) who are actively involved in the research and conservation of the Pygmy Hippo in the Ivory Coast.
Breeding programme category: EEP
IUCN Red List category: Endangered
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