On the 27^th January pygmy hippopotamus Venus gave birth to a female calf that keepers have since named Juno!

Juno is doing extremely well and is now starting to try solid foods as she continues to grow and we begin to get an insight into her personality! Keepers have found her to be quite stubborn and very independent; she also loves the pool and will happily spend most of her time in the water.

Juno was conceived naturally by Venus and Freddie as is their third calf together. Juno’s birth is fantastic news for both the zoo and the conservation of their species with the pygmy hippopotamus currently being listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Pygmy hippopotamus usually live alone apart from when they have offspring who usually stay with their mother for the first few years of their life.

See Juno take her first dip in the pool at just a few weeks old!

The name hippopotamus derives from the Greek word for 'river horse' as they spent a lot of their time in the water.

On your next visit see if you can catch a glimpse of Juno at Kingdom of the Wild.