Cincinnati Zoo Hippo 'Fiona' Gets Caught Stealing a Snack Like a True Stealthy Queen

As Cincinnati Zoo's shiniest star, Fiona the hippo works up quite the appetite everyday. Don't worry, she gets fed plenty - Fiona and her entire bloat eat regular meals at scheduled times and occasionally get some extra treats here and there.

Thursday, May 2nd, must've been a very hard day for Fiona, and her regular eating schedule wasn't cutting it. Lucky for her, her keepers' backs were turned and there were leaves at the ready... or so she thought. They caught the whole thing on camera:

Even though she's totally not supposed to be doing that, the Cincinnati Zoo can't be too mad - she's the queen, after all!

Related: Cincinnati Zoo’s Fiona the Hippo Can't Contain Her Joy Over Snack Time

If there are two things Fiona the hippo is known for, they're being adorable and being hungry. When she was born back in 2017, Fiona made history by being one of the smallest hippos ever to be born on record: she was six weeks early and weighed a whopping 29 pounds. Her incredible growth journey is exactly what drew everybody in!

Fiona came along about 8 months after one of the biggest controversies in the zoo's history. In May of 2016, a gorilla named Harambe was fatally shot after a child fell into his enclosure and staff were concerned that the gorilla was going to harm him. The spectacle made international news and sparked thousands of insensitive memes. I remember this entire ordeal vividly, and I can confidently say that it all only really calmed down when Fiona was born.

Since then, she's stayed in the spotlight and even became a big sister ! She's the muse for dozens of pieces of merch, and what's more, she's had several children's books written about her. How sweet is that?!

Plants in Enclosures are Always Safe to Eat

Fiona may not be encouraged to eat those leaves, but they're not toxic to her. Zoos take great care in choosing what to plant in their residents' enclosure, and they take into account that they're unpredictable animals. Maybe Fiona has never reached for those leaves before, but they have to assume she might, or that they might fall into the water where she can get them.

Most zoos will even go so far as to plant things that they want the animals to eat, since it's an excellent way to keep them occupied. For example, at the San Diego Zoo, there are trees planted throughout for their climbing animals. Some even have fruits!

At the end of the day, ingesting some leaves that are technically decorative is much better for Fiona than ingesting the alternative, which would be plastic leaves and plants. She's a hungry girl! Let her be!