LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Zoo is growing a little larger this summer!
According to zoo officials, the zoo is welcoming a 5-year-old female pygmy hippo to the Gorilla Forest. The hippo, Zemora, comes to the Louisville Zoo from the Jackson Zoo in Mississippi, a spokesperson said.
Pygmy hippos are smaller versions of the closely related, more well-known, common hippo. Pygmy hippos are only half as tall as the common hippo and weigh less than one-fourth of their much larger cousins.
These hippos are an endangered species. It's estimated less than 3,000 remain in the vanishing wild, the zoo said.
In a press release, keepers say that Zemora prefers the smaller pools in the upper part of the zoo's exhibit and enjoys eating uncooked yams.
Zemora will join Maji, the zoo's 28-year-old male pygmy hippo, in exhibit rotation until temperatures change in late October and early November. As cooler weather arrives later this year, zoo officials say Maji and Zemora will be moved behind-the-scenes to enjoy their indoor bedroom pools.
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