One of the Franklin Zoo pygmy hippos. (Credits: Cristina Eduardo/Comunicas)The Franklin Park Zoo announced with “deep sadness” that pygmy hippos Cleopatra and Inocencio lost their calf at birth in early March 2019.
The pregnancy was first detected via ultrasound on September last year and was proclaimed with jubilation considering pygmy hippos are an endangered species, with a small captive population of 103 individuals in all of North America.
“Cleopatra’s care team and the veterinary staff were present throughout the delivery and made every effort to resuscitate the baby,” the Zoo said in a statement.
According to the Zoo, Cleopatra was “monitored around the clock.”
Cleopatra’s mate, Inocencio, first arrived at the Franklin Park Zoo in 2013, from the Parque Zoológico Buin in Chile where he was born, and at the time of his arrival he was too young to breed with Cleo, which required careful planning for years in order for them to successfully mate. Cleo’s breeding, while natural, was the result of a series of prior trials and tests in order to inseminate her artificially, which was unsuccessful despite the constant monitoring.
