Mumbai : Mumbai is home to a baby Hippopotamus which was born on the auspicious occasion of Rakshabandhan in Byculla zoo. The last such birth was six years ago.
The zoo authorities are yet to ascertain the sex of the baby Hippopotamus. Sanjay Tripathi, Director of Byculla Zoo said, “We will be able to establish the sex of the baby hippo once the mother is comfortable with people coming near her.” With the recent birth of the hippo, the zoo is now home to four healthy hippos.
According to zoo authorities, the baby Hippopotamus weighed around 25kg to 30kg. “It was their second baby hippo born to father named Deva and mother named Shipla. Shipla’s age could be around 15 to 16 years. Their first female baby hippo is around six years old now,” said a zoo authority.
The birth of a Hippopotamus is a rare occasion from the zoo management’s point of view. The mating of Hippopotamus is known to be difficult. However, the zoo authorities did not face much difficulty since there was a male and a female pair at the zoo already.
The zoo authorities have created a separate enclosure for the Hippopotamus. There is also a bigger pool and sufficient land available which is needed for the Hippopotamus.
At the zoo, Hippopotamus are fed with green grass and a special diet called ‘concentrate ration’ which consists of mixture of wheat bran and soak gram. “During the lactating period, mother Hippopotamus is fed with special vitamins and calcium,” added Tripathi.
