MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Remember Thailand's viral baby pygmy hippo, Moo Deng? She was born this past summer. Her slick body and photogenic face made the miniature moist mammals a fan favorite. Now America has its own baby pygmy hippo, born in Virginia, just before Christmas. And she is already going viral in her own right. Brad Kutner with Radio IQ went to see this cute, little baby in person.
BRAD KUTNER, BYLINE: I walk into the pygmy hippo pen at the Metro Richmond Zoo, just as the newborn baby follows her mother, Iris, out of a hatch and...
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER SPLASHING)
KUTNER: ...Slides into a fresh pool of water.
(SOUNDBITE OF GRUNTING)
KUTNER: That grunting is the baby's father, Corwin, in a nearby pen. Meanwhile, in the water, the little one quickly latches on to mama.
RACHAEL GRIMM: They will rest their heads on mom so that mom can support them while they're still in the water.
KUTNER: That's zookeeper, Rachael Grimm. As we talk, the baby's moon-eyed head bobs in the water like a brown and pink ice cube, kicking her tiny legs, wiggling her little ears, splashing water as she tries to nurse.
JIM ANDELIN: They are very nurturing to their young.
KUTNER: That's zoo director, Jim Andelin.
ANDELIN: In fact, Iris does not want to leave that baby. And they go into a bedroom at night, and the baby walks almost underneath her, a little bit in front. It's a pretty precocious little girl, and so she'll sometimes lead the way. But there's never more than a couple of feet distance from them.
KUTNER: Pygmy hippos are native to West African forests and swamps and are a lot smaller than their Nile hippo counterparts. They're famous for their sheen.
ANDELIN: The body - if you rubbed your hand on it - it's just slimy.
GRIMM: They secrete oils that help keep them from getting sunburn in the wild. And so that secretion is pretty slick.
KUTNER: With only a few thousand remaining in their native habitat, they're also endangered. The Metro Richmond Zoo has been part of a program hoping to increase their numbers since they first got Corwin in 2018. There's a database that matches pairs based on genetics. This is the third pygmy hippo born at the Metro Richmond Zoo. The new hippo is already helping the private zoo attract visitors, like Dixie Kilduff and her daughter, Courtney, who drove over an hour and a half to get here.
DIXIE KILDUFF: We're serious fans.
COURTNEY KILDUFF: (Laughter) Yes. I just think they're really cute animals, and I really wanted to see her as she was born.
KUTNER: To drum up notoriety, the zoo held an online poll to pick a name for the new pygmy hippo. Over 100,000 people weighed in from 165 countries. The winner announced today was Poppy, a flower like her mother, Iris. Hammie Mae, in honor of Virginia hams, came in second. Courtney Kilduff was team Hammie Mae.
C KILDUFF: I like the tie to Virginia, and I think it's unique. I like that Poppy is related to her mom, but I just think that Hammie Mae has a nicer Southern ring to it.
KUTNER: In a statement, zoo officials had a message for Hammie Mae fans - we see you; we feel your pain; we hope we can all come together and move forward as a nation. For NPR News, I'm Brad Kutner, in Chesterfield County, Virginia.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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