‘I want a hippopotamus for Christmas’ has new meaning this year (Graphic: Metro)
Across the world this morning, millions of children have woken up to presents Father Christmas left for them under the tree.
As the youngsters rip open the wrapping paper and cards in great anticipation and excitement, other children will be celebrating their first Christmas with their families after being born just under a year ago.
Over in Edinburgh, proud parents Otto and Gloria are no different – except their ‘infant’ weighs in well over 18kg and lives in the local zoo.
Haggis, the pygmy hippo, was born on October 30 at Edinburgh Zoo during the height of Moo Deng mania.
Despite her distant Thai cousin being the first to capture the world’s hearts, the ‘wee legend’ has already made her mark at the zoo and shown her feisty personality.
Metro spoke to Penny Jack, a hoofstock keeper who works with Haggis, about how the zoo will celebrate the baby hippo’s first Christmas.
Hoofstock workers help with animals including giraffes, hippos, rhinos, zebras, antelope and other hooved species.
Jack told Metro that Edinburgh Zoo’s newest little lady is getting along swimmingly in her enclosure and growing more each day.
Much like her Thai ‘cousin’, Haggis has captured hearts around the world (Picture: Edinburgh Zoo)
She’s a big fan of swimming and is learning more each day (Picture: Edinburgh Zoo)
Haggis is still too young to properly swim (Picture: Edinburgh Zoo)
Normally hippos are born overnight, with the birth captured on the zoo’s cameras in their enclosures.
But mum Gloria surprised her keepers by giving birth outside in the big pool, which hadn’t been drained for winter yet.
After Haggis entered the world, Johnny, the team leader, helped grab wee Haggis from the water and ensure she was in a nice, warm, hay bed.
Jack said: ‘Gloria is a very good mum. This isn’t her first youngster – she had a previous baby in 2021 named Amara who lives at the London Zoo – so Gloria knows what she’s doing.
‘She’s been less protective with Haggis than she was with Amara. Gloria had tried to scare us off from Amara when she was born, but she was more chilled with Haggis, because she knew what we were doing was to help her baby.’
Both mum and baby have access to the pool. According to the keepers, Haggis loves water, having recently learned to get out of the pool by herself.
Haggis and her mum Gloria are the best of friends (Picture: Edinburgh Zoo)
Haggis stays in the pool for so long her keepers are often forced to drain it to get her out (Picture: Edinburgh Zoo)
‘The steps initially were too big, so we had to help Haggis out of the pool to begin with, but now she’s a real water baby. She loves being in the pool. But because she’s so small, she can’t regulate her own temperature yet so we can only let her be in the pool for a certain amount of time,’ she said.
Otto is a rather absent father and is kept separate from Gloria and Haggis. The hippos can see and smell each other through the fence at night, but Otto won’t meet his daughter until she’s eight or nine months old, when Haggis is bigger.
Jack added: ‘She’s definitely feisty enough – she takes after her mum – but Otto is a chill dad. He usually lies down and, keeps himself comfy. The girls will join him if they’re in the mood to otherwise Gloria, tells him that she needs space so he’ll leave her and the baby to it.’
Haggis is still too young to start eating a diet of pure veg that her parents munch on, but she’s started to nibble on Gloria’s food a bit and has put on some weight.
For her first Christmas, the zoo plans to give the hippos Christmas gifts made from recycled boxes and filled with vegetables.
The ‘enrichment’ boxes are well-liked by the animals, though Gloria isn’t necessarily as keen on the boxes as Otto. Curious Haggis will surely love the boxes, though.
Jack said: ‘Haggis is her own hippo. She’s getting more and more feisty.
‘I think soon she’ll start causing just as much chaos as Moo Deng does.’
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