Photo courtesy Metro Richmond Zoo
Move over, Moo Deng — thereʼs a new pygmy hippo in town.
Poppy was born at the Metro Richmond Zoo on Dec. 9 and was named on Jan. 6 after 116,000 in-person and online ballots were cast, beating out Hammie Mae with 52.8% of the vote. People from 165 countries participated, though in-person votes were counted twice.
“The voter turnout for this was incredible,” says Taylor Andelin, the zoo’s communications manager. “We never would have imagined the amount of global interest in naming our sweet little hippo. We’re so happy she is helping millions of people learn about pygmy hippos.”
Poppy can be seen alongside her mom, Iris; dad, Corwin; and another adult female, Blanche, at the zoo’s Hippo Haven, which opened in 2018. There’s also a livestream on the zoo’s website from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. In the past five years, Iris and Corwin have given birth to two other calves that have since been moved to other zoological facilities to live with future mates, the zoo says. Pygmy hippopotami are an endangered species native to West African swamps and rivers, with fewer than 2,500 mature individuals in the wild.
Poppy’s birth comes as the privately owned zoo enters its fourth decade, having opened in Chesterfield County on April 22, 1995.
