CINCINNATI — Fiona the hippo’s younger sibling is almost here.
According to WHIO-TV, the Cincinnati Zoo took to social media last week to announce that “birth watch” has begun for pregnant Nile hippo Bibi, the mother of viral sensation Fiona.
“According to measurements made during Bibi’s last ultrasound, her fetus is bigger than Fiona was when she was born!” the zoo wrote in an Instagram post Friday. “The hippo team is optimistic that the baby will be born within the normal birth window. For a hippo, that could be 30 days before or after the estimated due date, which for Bibi is mid-August. So, our Zoo Volunteer Observer (ZVO) team is starting their birth watch today!”
The update comes nearly three months after the zoo announced that Bibi, 23, was expecting a baby with partner Tucker, 18.
“The hippo team is excited and also nervous,” Eric Byrd, manager of the zoo’s Africa team, said in a statement released April 11. “As most people know, Bibi’s first baby, Fiona, was born six weeks premature and wouldn’t have survived without the intervention of her human caregivers. We are hoping for a full-term pregnancy and will be doing everything we can to support Bibi.”
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