Rare pygmy hippo arrives in Israel to launch breeding program

A female pygmy hippopotamus arrived on Wednesday at a zoo in northern Israel as part of an international breeding and conservation program to save the species, which is endangered in the wild.

Unlike its much larger, more numerous cousin, the Common Hippopotamus, which lives mainly in East Africa, the shy, nocturnal, pygmy species lives in swampy West African forests. Fewer than 2,500 are thought to still live in the wild, where they face shrinking habitats due to mining, logging, agriculture, and poaching.

The pygmy hippo that arrived at the Hai Park in northern Israel’s Kiryat Motzkin comes from Prague Zoo in the Czech Republic. It was flown to Israel via Frankfurt Airport.

Plans are for a male to arrive from Sweden later this year to kick off the first breeding nucleus in Israel.

After acclimatization, the female will move to a new yard built specially for the breeding program. Depending on her acclimation, she could go on public display as early as Saturday or Sunday, the zoo said.

The zoo has not yet decided on a name for its newest arrival.

Her arrival was delayed several times because of the security situation in Israel, amid war with Iran and Hezbollah.

In recent years, a pygmy hippopotamus born in Thailand, named Moo Deng, became a viral internet sensation, drawing tens of thousands of visitors.