1-Month-Old Baby Pygmy Hippo Called Miata Is Latest Addition To Singapore Zoo
Many of us have been using our SingapoRediscovers vouchers to visiting tourist spots like the Singapore Zoo.
Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) has given us another reason to drop by the zoo again. A very cute, little reason.
Singapore Zoo has just welcomed a new pygmy hippo calf, Miata.
Image courtesy of Wildlife Reserves Singapore
The little hippo is just 2 months old and you can now visit her at the zoo.
Baby pygmy hippo born 1 month ago
According to WRS, they welcomed their latest addition at Singapore Zoo – Miata the baby pygmy hippo – on 23 Feb.
Image courtesy of Wildlife Reserves Singapore
The name Miata is of African origin and translates to firstborn.
She is the firstborn calf of 11-year-old Psota – pronounced So-tah – and 10-year-old Divo. Psota, Miata’s mum, arrived from Poland’s Wroclaw Zoo in Nov 2011, while her father Divo was born in Singapore Zoo.
Image courtesy of Wildlife Reserves Singapore
Miata is still cared for by her mother, Psota, as she gradually gets used to her new surroundings.
For now, she is still a shy little pygmy hippo. Just look at her hiding under the leaves her mother is feasting on.
Image courtesy of Wildlife Reserves Singapore
But the little bundle of joy has her share of fun as well. She enjoys splashing about in the water whenever she’s not napping.
25th pygmy hippo born in Singapore Zoo
On a more sombre note, we learnt that Miata was supposed to have a twin. Unfortunately, the chances of twin calves surviving are very low and her twin did not make it.
Twin pygmy hippopotamus births are extremely rare. WRS notes that only 11 cases have been documented so far, with the last registered in 2015.
Miata is only the 25th pygmy hippo to be successfully born at Singapore Zoo.
Image courtesy of Wildlife Reserves Singapore
In the wild, pygmy hippos are native to West Africa and can only be found there.
According to San Diego Zoo, there is only an estimated of 3,000 of them left in their natural habitat.
Pygmy hippos are endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are at high risk of extinction in the wild.
Drop by the zoo to see Miata
Welcoming a new baby is always something to be celebrated, especially when it means the continuity of an endangered species like pygmy hippos.
And of course, we love that the Singapore Zoo now has one more cutie for us to feast our eyes upon.
If you’d like to visit Miata, you can drop by the Singapore Zoo soon. Don’t forget, you still have till end of June to make good use of your SingapoRediscovers vouchers!
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Featured image courtesy of Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
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