Overview
- Staff at the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center held a Hungry Hungry Hippos–themed celebration on Thursday with floating fruit treats and colorful decorations.
- Born on Nov. 22, 1973, Hannah Shirley turns 52 and earlier this year became the oldest pygmy hippopotamus ever documented in managed care worldwide.
- Rescued in 2002 from a private backyard in Escondido, she has remained at the Ramona facility, which San Diego Humane Society assumed in 2020 after acquiring The Fund for Animals site.
- Her 13,000-square-foot habitat features a pond and pool, and her routine includes gentle back rubs, sprinkler showers, and carefully prepared meals; she weighs about 500 pounds.
- Pygmy hippos are listed as vulnerable with fewer than 2,500 in the wild, and caregivers describe Hannah as a valued ambassador who helps connect the public to conservation.