Happy birthday, Fiona!
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s most famous resident turned three last week—and she celebrated by digging into a massive fruit cake and indulging in a bubble bath.
“That day three years ago is both a blur and a memory that’s etched in my mind,” Christina Gorsuch, the zoo’s curator of mammals and coach of #TeamFiona, said in a statement.
The young hippopotamus weighed only 29 pounds when she was born six weeks premature in 2017. Now, the majestic creature tips the scales at an impressive 1,300 pounds.
“I’ll never forget walking into the hippo barn and seeing this tiny, slimy thing on the ground next to Bibi (her mom),” Gorsuch reminisced. “We were shocked that it was alive and spent the next several months focused on keeping it (her) that way.”
Voted No. 1 Cincinnatian for the past two years—and, unsurprisingly, nominated again in 2020—the hippo was celebrated across the Queen City over the weekend.
Themed events included the release of a four-pack Team Fiona beer, Fiona ice cream bowls, a Thirsty Thirsty Hippo coffee blend, and even the new book “Fiona, It’s Bedtime,” available for pre-order.
The first Nile hippo delivered at the Cincinnati Zoo in 75 years, Fiona—named after the Shrek heroine—was born on Jan. 24, 2017, to Bibi and Henry (who died nine months later).
She received round-the-clock care from the Cincinnati Zoo team (with some emergency assistance from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center “on a couple of scary occasions”).
All the while, her devoted public cheered on Fiona, sending encouragement from across the globe.
“The outpouring of love for this little hippo was like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” according to zoo director Thane Maynard. “It’s astounding that it hasn’t died down three years later. She’s got fans all over the world.”
An unlikely star, the hippopotamus headlined her own Facebook show, appears in multiple children’s books, is featured in a downtown Cincinnati mural, and “stole the show” in the city ballet’s 2018 production of Nutcracker (played by a six-foot-four-inch dancer).
And, like many other influencers, Fiona’s using her celebrity status to help friends down under.
All proceeds from the sale of a custom T-shirt (featuring Fiona and Australian wildlife, by Ohio artist Loren Long) will be donated to Zoos Victoria to help care for koalas, kangaroos, and other animals suffering from the devastating effects of bushfires.
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanic Garden will contribute an additional $5,000 to the total raised.
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