Fiona, the baby hippo born six-weeks early at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens in January and 25 pounds underweight, is making great progress and gaining weight, tipping the scales at 116 pounds Wednesday morning.
The zoo is preparing to gradually introduce 2-month-old Fiona to her parents as she gets a little bigger. She caught a glimpse of her parents in their outdoor habitat this week, and can now hear and smell them.
“She isn’t quite ready to venture out herself, but is getting familiar with the look and smell of the great outdoors,” the zoo said on its website.
Fiona could weigh as much as 3,500 pounds one day, the average weight of an adult Nile hippo, which is so strong it can crush a crocodile with its jaws and sharp teeth, according to the zoo.
The hippo was born on Jan. 24 and was the first Nile hippo born at the Cincinnati Zoo in 75 years.
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