June the baby hippo captures hearts at Taiping Zoo

Bernama 31 Dec 2024

Every mealtime, June enthusiastically mimics the actions of her brother Atan and parents April and Lek, positioning herself at the edge of their pond and opening her mouth wide to receive food.

One by one, bundles of napier grass, vegetables and fruits are tossed into the gaping maws of the four family members by their caretaker, Muhammad Shahrul Izwan Muhammad Azhari.

Baby June, seen here with parents April and Lek and 8-year-old brother Atan, has quickly captured the hearts of zoo visitors

After eating, Atan swiftly dives back to the bottom of the pond, followed closely by his younger sibling, who seems unwilling to part ways.

The playful antics of the family of Nile hippos, scientifically known as “Hippopotamus amphibius”, captivate visitors at the Zoo Taiping & Night Safari (ZTNS). During Bernama’s visit recently, the onlookers were clearly entertained, especially by June’s cuteness.

According to Shahrul, the female baby hippopotamus was born on June 5 – hence her name – while Atan was born in 2016. June has just been weaned and is learning to eat, having previously only nursed from her mother April.

Shahrul, who has been caring for the mammals for eight years, said while managing them is not difficult, all tasks must be done carefully. This is because hippos – also known as water or river horses – are aggressive animals that move fast.

“When a hippopotamus sees us entering their enclosure, it will run quickly towards us,” he explained, adding that care must particularly be taken when he cleans their enclosure.

“What happens is, we will have another worker feed the animal to distract it while I clean the pen.”

The hippopotamus family consumes about 50kg of vegetables and fruits at each mealtime, which happens four times a day.

According to ZTNS director Muhamad Ridhwan Affendi, June has become a popular attraction at the zoo, with visitors entertained by her antics.

“Hippos spend 90% of their time in the water, including mating, giving birth, and nursing their young. June was also born and raised in the water. We only saw her follow her mother onto land after a few weeks,” he said.

“Hippos spend 90% of their time in the water, including mating, giving birth, and nursing their young. June was also born and raised in the water. We only saw her follow her mother onto land after a few weeks”

He shared that the zoo has introduced African catfish into the hippopotamus pool, where they act as “dentists” for the mammals. “The catfish swim into the hippopotamus’ wide-open mouths and clean any food residue around its mouth and teeth.”

Source: freemalaysiatoday