The San Antonio Zoo’s newest resident has returned to his roots.
A two-year-old hippo arrived from ABQ BioPark Zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and he has a family connection to the Alamo City.
Zoo officials said the new hippo is getting to know his new surroundings and will eventually meet the zoo’s other hippo, Uma. Uma also happens to be his grandmother. His grandfather was Tumbo, the zoo’s other hippo until he died in May at age 42. The new hippo is the son of Uma and Tumbo’s daughter, Karen, who was once at the San Antonio Zoo and was moved to Albuquerque. The new hippo’s father is Moe, who is also in Albuquerque.
The new hippo does not yet have a name, but he will be given a San Antonio Zoo family name in the coming weeks.
Hippos are the third largest land mammal, and the new hippo weighs 1,200 pounds.
Guests won’t be able to view him right away. The veterinary team will need to perform a full assessment and daily checkups before he can be placed in the exhibit. Zoo officials did not give an exact date of when he will be in the exhibit.
