00:36USA: Endangered hippo born after unexpected pregnancy at LA Zoo
The new baby hippo of Los Angeles Zoo was seen on Thursday. Its mother is 10-year-old Mara, who was on a visit from Topeka Zoo in Kansas when she had relations with the three-year-old male Adhama. Zoo officials were astonished when Mara became pregnant, as she had been on a birth control programme at the time.
Mara gave birth on October 31 in front of an audience of zoo visitors, with vets and handlers standing by to assist. The baby has not yet been named as zookeepers have not been able to approach to check its sex. The hippos are of the pygmy species, which is classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
00:36The new baby hippo of Los Angeles Zoo was seen on Thursday. Its mother is 10-year-old Mara, who was on a visit from Topeka Zoo in Kansas when she had relations with the three-year-old male Adhama. Zoo officials were astonished when Mara became pregnant, as she had been on a birth control programme at the time.
Mara gave birth on October 31 in front of an audience of zoo visitors, with vets and handlers standing by to assist. The baby has not yet been named as zookeepers have not been able to approach to check its sex. The hippos are of the pygmy species, which is classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.