CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Zoo said Sunday that a baby hippopotamus born prematurely has taken her first steps.
Zoo spokeswoman Michelle Curley said Fiona was active during the night and consumed a good amount of formula by herself.
The baby’s mother, 17-year-old Bibi, gave birth six weeks early on Jan. 24 to the first Nile hippo born there in 75 years.
Staffers have been working to help Fiona grow, get stronger, and learn to nurse on her own. They keep her close enough to her parents so they can hear and smell each other.
The zoo is providing updates on its website.
Christina Gorsuch, the zoo’s mammal curator, said the hippo was named by members of the team that has been giving the week-old female calf 24-hour care. She said the name, which means ‘‘fair,’’ was a perfect fit for the ‘‘fair little girl.’’
Bibi came to Cincinnati from the St. Louis Zoo. The new hippo’s father, 34-year-old Henry, came from the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, Mo.
Nile hippos, also known as river hippos, are vegetarians and can weigh as much as 8,000 pounds. They are the second-largest land animals, after elephants.
The average baby hippo weighs between 55 and 120 pounds, but Fiona is only 29 pounds.
Hippos spend much of their day in the water, and the Cincinnati Zoo’s Hippo Cove has an underwater viewing area.