Harry the baby pygmy hippo gives kisses, takes a bath
South Africa's rare pygmy hippo, named after British royalty, is proving
to be a tourist attraction. TODAY.com's Dara Brown reports.
This was posted 29 March 2012
This 6-day-old pygmy hippo calf is living the good life with his
handlers at the Cango Wildlife Ranch in South Africa. According to
The Daily Mail, the calf was rejected by his mother, Hilda, after being born last Thursday and now receives round-the-clock care from staff.
Harry is breaking hearts and living like royalty in a special suite, which is no surprise
considering his namesake.
Harry gives his full-time handler Toni Inggs a loving lick! The pygmy hippo won't grow to be more than 3 feet tall.
“We knew we wanted to call him something beginning with H and it
suddenly struck us to name him Harry after the prince,” Rob Hall, the
reserve’s manager, told The Daily Mail. “Our team here loves Prince
Harry as he shows true grit and is passionate about Africa. Our little
guy is already proving he's made of similar stuff and is determined to
make the most of life.”
Splish, splash, Harry's taking a bath! Pygmy hippos spend the majority
of their lives underwater. As nocturnal animals, they only emerge at
night to eat.
The calf’s birth was a cause for celebration at the center since pygmy
hippos are a critically endangered species, with fewer than 3,000 left
in the wild.
Hungry hippo! Harry is fed a bottle of milk every three hours by his watchful handlers.
Harry was the eighth calf born to his mother but only the third to
survive. When Hilda showed no maternal instincts toward the newborn,
handlers stepped in
Sunday Times South Africa November 11 2012
Hilda, the 24 year old pygmy hippo wo lost her first-born, Prince Harry last year - Is believed to be pregnant again.
When Harry died on an operating table at the Cango Wildlife Ranch in Oudtshoorn in May, the world mourned the passid of the pint sized celebrity.
But now staff at the animal sancturary hope that Hilda and her long-term partner, Herbert, 23 may soon be parents again.
They are not quite sure yet - because pygmy hippos, an endangered species originally from swamps in West Africa, are k nowl for phantom pregnancies.
And no exact birth day can be predidted, said santuary spokeswoman Tammy Moult,
because the animals, which have lived in a pool at the ranche for the past 10 years, enjoy an active love life.
"Should Hilda be pregnant, we could expect delivery of the baby any time from now through to January,"
"It is difficult to narrow down the dates as our curators have multiple records of matings.
Prince Harry became an internet sensation after pictures of him as a 5kg newborn calf captivated heart around the globe.
Britain's Daily Mail in May mourned the tragic death of an internet icon and Fox Nes int the US lamented the passing of the pygmy hippo who shot to worldwide fame with his adorable face and small stature.
Prince Harry was seven weeks old when he suffered heart failure during an operation to repair an umbilical hernia. He had needed round-th-clock care after being rejected at birth by his mother.
Western Cape MEC for Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde who when to Oudtshoorn to meet Harry before his death, name him an ambassar for for tourism in the province
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