The San Diego Zoo is mourning the death of a 5-day-old male hippo calf.
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The hippo had been “on exhibit” since its birth.
The calf was 30-year-old Funani’s fifth baby, her first calf since 2011. The calf had gone on exhibit Wednesday with Funani and her mate, Otis, and was said to have been doing well. The next morning the hippo was found by zookeepers, with its mother, Funani, nearby. Hippo mothers are known to be particularly protective of their young. source
The river hippopotamus is a threatened species, imperiled in the wild by poachers and predators.
A necropsy is planned to determine the cause of the hippo’s death. The last calf born to Funani is now at the Los Angeles Zoo.