Little bundle of joy at Rhino and Lion Park
Baby Madiba should be on view within a couple of weeks.
An endangered pygmy hippo was born at the Rhino and Lion Park in Kromdraai just over two weeks ago.
These hippos are native to West Africa and live in the swamps in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast.
They are nocturnal animals and are reclusive. The Rhino and Lion Park has a breeding pair of these cute-looking but potentially dangerous animals near the restaurant at the reserve.
Baby Madiba was born some two weeks ago, weighing in at just over five kilograms. He since has more than doubled his weight to a healthy 11 kilograms. He is fed two bottles of specially mixed milk six times a day while in a bath of lukewarm water, which he loves. His skin exudes a pinkish liquid that protects it.
His carers, Magriet du Plessis and Edward Hill, have their hands full with their curious little calf. Edward explained that they were forced to take Madiba away from his mother as she was not feeding it.
“It’s important that he gets the first colostrum-enriched milk within the first four hours of birth. We monitored mother and baby and she was not interested in feeding it, so we were forced to take it away from her.”
All going well, Madiba should be on view within a couple of weeks.
