(CNN) — Bibi the hippo gave birth Wednesday night, the Cincinnati Zoo announced in a tweet Thursday.
“Bibi gave birth around 10 p.m. and everything seems to be going well for mom and baby so far,” the zoo said. “They will stay out of their habitat for about 2 weeks to bond.”
A name will likely be discussed today, Jenna Wingate, senior zookeeper with the zoo’s Africa team, told CNN New Day on Thursday.
“We just focused on getting that healthy calf out and Bibi out,” Wingate said.
“We are so happy to say the baby is strong and looks really healthy so far,” Wingate said.
This means that Fiona, Bibi’s daughter, is officially a big sister.
Fiona became an international celebrity after being born six weeks premature in 2017, weighing just 29 pounds at birth. Hippos are usually born at nearly 100 pounds.
Fiona’s weight was a record weight for a hippo, but she managed to survive against all odds, CNN previously reported. Fiona now weighs around 1,300 pounds.
Wingate said the zoo was “cautiously optimistic” about Bibi’s final pregnancy given the prematurity of Fiona’s birth.
“This calf looks to be really healthy,” Wingate said. “We haven’t gotten a weight on this one yet, but we estimate it needs to be over 50 pounds, and usually between 50 and 100 pounds.”
The zoo said in a press release that Bibi and her baby “will not be visible to the public immediately,” but are working to “share photos and videos if the care team is able. to obtain them without disturbing them”.
“The newborn hippo spent most of the day in the indoor pools with Bibi, exploring, resting and nursing, which is exactly what the hippo care team hoped for,” the zoo said on Twitter. . “Hippos spend most of their lives in water, and baby hippos even nurse underwater.”
Top image: A new baby hippopotamus was born at the Cincinnati Zoo on Wednesday night. (@cincinnatizoo/Twitter)
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