Hadari is only a year old but has already moved a long way to a new home at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium.
Hadari is a pygmy hippopotamus that arrived on May 23, 2023, from Montgomery Zoo in Alabama.
Zoo officials said he is “getting to know his new home in the Jungle Odyssey area.”
Kelsey Forbes, curator of mammals, said, “Hadari is trying out everything, every which way. He is super rambunctious, loves exploring, and is a confident hippo.”
He enjoys interacting with his keepers and visitors. The zoo said his favorite foods are green beans, cooked carrots and oranges.
The zoo said the pygmy is one of two species of hippos. The other is the common hippopotamus.
“Pygmy hippos are found in West Africa and are considered more endangered than that of their colossal counterparts. They typically live between 30-50 years, and less than 3,000 are estimated to be left in the wild. The animals are primarily at risk due to forest and swamp habitat loss,” the zoo said.
Hadari was born at the Montgomery Zoo on Feb. 3, 2022, “as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. Through SSPs, multiple zoos, certified facilities, and wildlife organizations around the world work together to ensure the genetic diversity and safety of threatened animals like pygmy hippos. Since 1919, only 41 percent of pygmy hippos born in zoos have been male.”
The zoo welcomed the arrival of Hadari following the departure of its “beloved resident pygmy hippopotamus, Jahari.”
Jahari was relocated on March 9 to the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as part of the Species Survival Plan. Jahari was born as a result of that same program in 2014 at Louisville Zoological Garden.
Jahari was at the Pittsburgh Zoo since 2016, “delighting guests with his graceful aquatic antics and his big smile.”
“Everyone in Pittsburgh is sad to see Jahari go, but species conservation is our mission,” said Karen Vacco, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium Assistant Curator of Mammals. “He’s going to a good home in Michigan and we look forward to following his journey to becoming a dad.”
Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year and a slew of new arrivals.
Charlotte, a female Western lowland gorilla was born at the zoo on Feb. 14, 2023.
Bo, a male Western lowland gorilla, was born on May 11, 2023.
Twin Amur leopard cubs were born in March. Three nyalas (antelope) were born in February, March and April.
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