WoW! has a new neighbour and we’d like to introduce him to you.
You might remember a few months back we said ‘ni hao’ (‘hello’ in Chinese) to twin baby pandas at the wildlife park near WoW! in Belgium. (You can read it here).
Today, we’re saying a big ‘hi’ to Kovu. Really big? Well, yes – Kovu is a baby hippo…
He was born in February but was presented to the world at the weekend after he took his first stroll outdoors – and had a splash in the pool! – with his mum, Nema. Check out his video above!
Kovu’s dad is Emilio and he has a big (very big!) brother called Kibo, who was also born at the Pairi Daiza zoo seven years ago.
The growing family is great news for hippos because these giant creatures are having a hard time surviving in the natural homes along African rivers. (Did you know that the name hippopotamus means ‘river horse’?)
Only about 120,000 still live in the wild. So the work of zoos is important in helping us understand these animals and helping them recover.
“He’s having lots of fun in the pool. He’s got fish in there that he can play with.”
Tim Bouts of Pairi Daiza, talking about Kovu’s first day out
Normally, there would be lots of visitors at the park to see the animals. But because of the corona virus, Pairi Daizi is shut, like zoos and other parks around the world.
Little (well, relatively little…) Kovu doesn’t mind, of course. But WoW! wonders what the older animals think of it being so quiet…
That’s set us thinking about how Nature is coming back into our towns now that so many of us are staying at home. Have you seen unusual animals or birds or plants near you recently?
Let us know, and we’ll be back on Sunday to share more news about Mother Nature’s comeback!
