Spotted this story in Daily Mail today… almost died from these photos, so I had to re-post the story for you all!!
” The six-day-old pygmy hippo calf is filling the time of his doting carers after being rejected by his mother at birth. The 11lb baby was born last Thursday at a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa and requires round-the-clock care.
But the regal little Harry – named after the Prince – has brought joy to the whole centre, according to Rob Hall, the reserve’s manager.
Handler Toni Inggs looks after the mud-loving creature at the privately-run Cango Wildlife Ranch.
The pygmy hippo – who will not grow to more than three feet tall – requires 125ml of milk around every three hours. His parents have been returned to an external enclosure, while Harry lives like a monarch in a special suite at the sanctuary.
‘His parents Hilda and Herbert mated successfully last year and we waited patiently for the result.
‘Sadly Hilda struggled with being a mother and showed no maternal instinct so we have removed him and are rearing him by hand.
‘He’s an active little thing and is keeping Toni busy day and night.’
The Cango Wildlife Ranch said the arrival of Harry was a massive boost to his species, which has been declared critically endangered after experts warned there were fewer than 3,000 left in the wild.
The center specializes in the breeding of endangered species, including cheetahs, tigers and crocodiles.
Pygmy hippos are nocturnal animals who live largely underwater and wait until nightfall before emerging to eat leaves and grass.
They will only ever reach around a fifth of the size of their bigger cousin, the common hippo.
The rare animals originate from the swamps of western Africa but have become threatened by the loss of their native habitat.
‘Harry needs to drink 125ml of milk around every three hours, which means looking after him is a full time job.
‘He will need that level of care for the first three months and after that might start to feed himself.’
‘We’re so pleased that he’s with us and we’re confident he’ll grow strong.
…and just to drive you all even more crazy, here’s a different baby pygmy hippo being shown off for the first time at the Taronga zoo in Sydney, Australia:
