Recently birthed baby hippo on display at ABQ BioPark Zoo

The hippopotamus habitat at the ABQ BioPark Zoo is now open to visitors wishing to catch a glimpse of the new baby hippo born there Tuesday morning.

The habitat was temporarily closed to provide privacy and avoid distractions, allowing mother, Karen, and her newborn to bond, said Bricker Thietten, a senior mammal keeper and a member of the hippo care team.

The gender of the unnamed baby, whose estimated weight is about 50 pounds, is not yet known, Thietten said. The new calf brings the hippo population at the zoo back to four, including father Moe and daughter Matilda.

Moe has sired two other offspring with Karen. Their first daughter was born in 2006 and is now at the Dallas Zoo, “and she has two daughters of her own.”

Moe and Karen’s first son was born in 2015 and is at the San Antonio Zoo, living with his grandma, Karen’s mom, Thietten said.

“So Moe and Karen were sort of empty nesters from 2017 until 2021, when Matilda was born.”

Karen, 24, was born at the San Antonio Zoo and came to Albuquerque in 2004. Moe, who will be 52 on Nov. 3rd, was born at the Calgary Zoo, lived there until age 3, then moved to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City and finally transferred to Albuquerque in 2005.

Moe is something of an anomaly. He is among the oldest hippos living in a zoo habitat. The average life expectancy of hippos is in the low 40s, Thietten said, and it’s “very unusual” that hippos of Moe’s age sire offspring.

Despite their formidable size, Moe and Karen are not particularly large. Moe weighs in at about 3,100 pounds and Karen at about 2,500 pounds, Thietten said. Large males can tip the scale at more than 5,000 pounds and large females at more than 3,500 pounds, he said.

“Hippos are herbivores and in the wild their diet is almost exclusively grass,” he said. “So here at the zoo they get timothy hay and all kinds of fruits and veggies, like sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, lettuce, bananas, and for treats whole watermelons and pumpkins.”

Native to sub-Saharan Africa, hippos live in lakes, rivers and swamps. They commonly share their watery environment with crocodiles and have been known to use their nearly 20-inch-long bottom tusks and 8-inch-long top tusks to bite into crocodiles that challenge them or get too close to their calves.

Territorial and aggressive, hippos have been recorded charging and capsizing boats. Britannica, the global information and education organization, says hippos kill an estimated 500 people each year.

Despite their obvious strength, hippos have sensitive skin and are susceptible to sunburn, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Remaining submerged during the day keeps their skin hydrated. While they don’t have sweat glands, they do secrete a red substance called “blood sweat” that helps protect their skin.

Even though they are well adapted to aquatic life, hippos cannot swim, says the IFAW. Instead, they walk or run along the floor of the body of water in which they reside. They can hold their breath for up to six minutes and propel their immense bodies to the surface for air in seconds.

Unfortunately, hippo populations are in decline, Thietten said. “There are maybe 120,000 hippos remaining in the wild.” The International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists hippos as “vulnerable,” he said, due to habitat loss, poaching, and drought attributed to climate change.

Life is significantly different for Karen, Moe and the rest of their hippo family.

“They’re a blast to take care of,” Thietten said. “They have so much personality and charisma. They’re a lot of fun.”