Meet Fiona’s brother!
He’s officially arrived. Fritz, that is, the brand spanking new baby hippo made his public debut to an adoring crowd of media first, then to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s members.
The two-week-old brother to Fiona was ready for his close-up. Fiona, it seems, is not the only star in this pool.
Around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Fritz and Bibi waddled onto the Hippo Cove rocks and eased into the shallow water. At first, there were only reporters on the other side of the glass, practically climbing on top of each other to get a photo of the calf.
He obliged, teasing the assembled by waggling his tiny toes under water and popping his baby ears occasionally over the top of the pool’s surface. Mom was never very far behind.
A few minutes later, zoo members got to share in the surprise unveiling.
“He seems comfortable,” said 26-year-old Elizabeth Nevin, who was at the Cove with her 2-year-old son Isaac. “Like he’s already making himself at home.”
Since the calf was born Aug. 3, he has mostly stayed in his indoor habitat, bonding and nursing with Bibi, completely away from the public’s in-person eye. Through videos and livestreams, the public got to see Fritz tumble around his indoor habitat, cozy up to mom Bibi and munch on lettuce and hay.
Next to his mama, Fritz looked tiny. He had his signature shininess and big, bulging eyes, a trait that zookeeper Jenna Wingate said comes from Fritz’s dad, Tucker.
This might be the case, but there was no doubt Fritz is Bibi’s son.
Upon entering the blue-green pool of the cove, Fritz cuddled close to Bibi. Sometimes he would nurse, other times he would just bop around her, staying in the shadow of his mother’s protection.
But as the minutes passed, Fritz became more comfortable and showed some of the “spunky” personality Wingate describes. He began blowing bubbles from his nostrils, doing flips and even coming to the habitat’s glass, giving reporters an up-close look at his face.
But as zookeepers gradually exposed Fritz to the outdoor Hippo Cove with his mom, and noticed how well Fritz and Bibi were doing in the water, they decided it was time. Fritz could spend more time outdoors. More time outdoors meant people could at long last get to see him.
