Famous Hippo Family Welcomes New Baby in Adorable Video

A beloved hippo family gained a new member on Wednesday night, said the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.

The zoo's announcement of hippo Bibi's new baby, released together with footage of the newborn and mom bonding, quickly captured the hearts of animal lovers online.

Staff watched the birth with "a mix of joy, relief, and constant worry that comes with any new little one—human or animal," a spokesperson told Newsweek.

Bibi's first baby, Fiona, gained world renown when she survived a birth six weeks premature. At 29 pounds, Fiona was born 25 pounds below the lowest recorded birth weight for her species and could not stand on her own. Zoo workers strove tirelessly to keep her alive, sitting with her around the clock, snuggling her, feeding her and even enlisting help from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to give her fluids through an IV made for premature human babies.

Fiona became the subject of several books and starred in her own Facebook show, sparking a new brand of tourism in Cincinnati and helping raise over $90,000 to aid relief efforts for animals affected by Australia's wildfires in January 2020. Her survival inspired social media nearly eight months after the infamous death of Cincinnati Zoo's Harambe, a gorilla who was fatally shot after a boy fell into his enclosure.

"This new calf weighs at least twice as much as Fiona did and is already walking," said Christina Gorsuch, Cincinnati Zoo's director of animal care.

The staff did not expect 23-year-old mom Bibi to get pregnant again. "Since she was on birth control, most assumed that the news was a joke!" said the zoo in a press release.

But on Wednesday, the hippo baby was born healthy, full-term and "adorable," staff confirmed.

"Bibi and the baby, yet to be named, will spend the next two weeks bonding behind the scenes," Gorsuch said. "A female would take her newborn away from the bloat for about that amount of time in the wild, and we try to give Bibi the choice to do what feels natural to her."

In the meantime, 5-year-old Fiona and her father, 19-year-old Tucker, are staying out of Bibi's way while she bonds with the new calf.

"They're so comfortable with each other now that 2,000-pound Fiona has been seen napping on 4,500-pound Tucker," said the zoo.

The announcement of Bibi's new baby prompted a wave of delight from the hippo family's admirers on social media.

"Such a sweet little one to wake up to!" exclaimed a fan on Twitter. "Can't wait to see if it's a baby brother or sister. Congratulations are in order for Bibi and Tucker and of course big sister Fiona."

"Aww he/she [is] so beautiful, welcome to the world little one," another user wrote. "Big sister Fiona [is] going [to] be happy to see you."

Updated 08/04/2022, 5:42 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with comments from a spokesperson from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.