The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Little hippo keeps zoo staff guessing

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Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Little hippo keeps zoo staff guessing

T.Lalith Singh

— PHOTO: Satish H.

Motherly care: 18-year-old hippopotamus, Parvati, gave birth to a calf on Sunday morning. The dup is seen swimming in the moat at Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

HYDERABAD: If staff and officials at the Nehru Zoological Park appear a tad flummoxed these days, they have every reason to be. For the Hippopotamus couple here, Parvathi (18) and Vinay (24), has been blessed with offspring. But the gender of the newborn is yet to be ascertained.

Parvathi gave birth on Sunday morning but the water creature with its calf has remained in the moat since then, leaving the zoo staff waiting on the shores. Till they emerge from the water, the staff would not be able to update their records with the new member of the hippo family under the category of male or female.

“We are just waiting. We cannot go into the moat since Parvathi is also with the newborn,” says a zoo staffer. Both mother and the offspring were stated to be in good health. Given their exotic appeal, the African species are a major draw for visitors to the zoo. With the addition, the hippo strength here has gone up to four. The other one Dalapathi was born here five years back. Meanwhile, the number of winged creatures too went up by a notch, with two more parrots added during the same time. Two Conure parrots were born in the aviary at the zoo last week and their numbers have gone up to four. These are remarkable birds known for their beauty.

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