After a worldwide voting campaign, the tiny creature is now known as Poppy.
The baby pygmy hippo was born on Christmas Eve, weighing a healthy 15 pounds at birth.
She is the third calf in the last four years for her parents, Iris and Corwin.
Poppy is the perfect name for this playful, perky, and ever-increasing popular hippo,writesthe zoo.
Her name is a flower just like her mother Iris.
Her big sisters are are named Violet and Petunia, forming an adorable bouquet of pygmy hippos.
The other name option for the new baby was Hammie Mae, a nod to Virginia ham.
The poll was a very tight race, with voters from all over the world chiming in.
In the end, over 116,000 votes were cast from all 50 states and 165 countries.
In the end, Poppy won with 52.8% of total count.
The pygmy hippo is an endangered species native to the swamps and rivers of West Africa, theyexplain.
Less than 2,500 mature individuals remain in the wild.
This birthlike all of Iris birthsplays an important role in helping protect this rare and elusive species.
For now, Poppy is already on view, having made her zoo debut on January 3, 2025.
So, whats next for Poppy?
She will continue learning how to be a pygmy hippo from mom, the zoo says.
She has already started nibbling on some solid foods, and will only eat more and more each day.
Poppy is going to grow so quickly.
Should you visit the zoo soon, you could find Iris and Poppy in the indoor pool area.
To stay up to date with Poppy, you’re free to follow theMetro Richmond Zoo on Instagram.
The baby pygmy hippo was born on Christmas Eve, weighing a healthy 15 pounds at birth.
Poppy’s name was picked via a worldwide voting campaign.
116,000 votes were cast from all 50 states and 165 countries.
