Four months ago, a pregnant Nile hippopotamus gave birth six weeks early. The early arrival meant that the baby, whose name is Fiona, needed a lot of care from the Cincinnati Zoo staff; she was only a tiny 29 pounds when she was born, about half the usual weight of a small newborn hippo. According to her care team, she needed around-the-clock care, which involved strict temperature control, lots of sleep, regular weighing, a special feeding schedule, and even some snuggles.
These wonderful people knew they had something special on their hands, so they have been sharing all that cuteness with the world. Bless them! And the internet loves her. Of course they do! She's completely adorable.
Here's Fiona taking her first wobbly steps:
Since she's so small, her human pals have had to help her get stronger:
Throughout those tough first months, she received a lot of love on social media:
[facebook ]https://www.facebook.com/cincinnatizoo/photos/a.96076385478.116723.61800120478/10154808735460479/?type=3&theater[/facebook]
Here she is, meeting her dad, Henry:
She's also pretty cheeky:
OMG. This is what happened when the staff showed her bubbles for the first time!!!! Bubbles are scary.
Because she's a hippo, she can have a nap underwater:
She can do pretty much anything underwater. So cute!
Even though she's just a baby, she even got her own beer, which will support her caring team.
She's so little that her mom weighs about 12 times more than she does. But for now, she's a healthy 265-pound tot. SO CUTE.
Visitors can't meet her at the Cincinnati Zoo yet, but we'll be first in line when they can. Until then, you'll just have to join the Fiona fan club with everyone else:
