Overview

• Nala delivered twins on September 28, and one newborn died shortly after while the surviving calf is a male.
• The calf weighed about 28 kilograms at birth, well below the roughly 40 kilograms typical for hippo neonates.
• Zoo director Andreas Knieriem reports the youngster now weighs around 32 kilograms and is developing well.
• Mother and calf remain off view in a shallow pool away from the main Hippo Bay and will join the larger group once the calf is stronger.
• The youngster already moves deftly in the water, and the zoo notes its broader hippo conservation support, including a 2025 IUCN workshop in Abidjan with 50 representatives from 13 West African countries.