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Hip-Hip-Hipporay: ABQ BioPark Zoo asks community to vote on new baby hippo's name
A yet-to-be-named baby hippo surfaces for air next to its mother, Karen, on Oct. 16 at the ABQ BioPark Zoo.
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It’s voting time in Albuquerque — not just for mayor, City Council or school board candidates — but also for the name of the city’s newest resident, a baby hippo at the Albuquerque BioPark.
Born on Oct. 14 to hippo parents Karen and Moe, the bundle of joy — a female baby hippo — has yet to be named, and the zoo is asking the community to vote for their favorite name for the zoo’s newest addition.
“She’s doing really well, and is the most active hippo baby we’ve had,” BioPark senior keeper Bricker Thietten said in a statement. “For many of the early milestones we have, like getting out of the pool and coming inside, she’s ahead of schedule.”
The zoo has four options for the two-week-old hippo: Maisy, Magdalena, Chama or Pearl. The public is invited to vote for one of the four names chosen by the BioPark’s hippo care team online or the ABQ BioPark Instagram page. Voting ends at 11:30 p.m. Nov. 4.
More than 8,000 votes have already been submitted, with Maisy currently leading at 34%. Pearl and Magdalena are both tied for second place at 27%.
The baby hippo joins big sister Matilda, who was also named by the public in 2021. Magdalena, one of the choices for the baby hippo, was also one of the options for Matilda’s name in 2021.
The new hippo joins the growing list of BioPark baby arrivals, including a cape vulture that was born in May and three flamingos in August.
