CINCINNATI — The staff of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden had an exciting day Thursday as they welcomed a new baby hippo born Wednesday night just before 10 p.m.

Since then staff have done all they can to help get the calf situated, and keep Bibi, the mother hippo, comfortable.

Cincinnati Zoo Senior Keeper Jenna Wingate, along with other staff and volunteers, kept a watchful eye on Bibi throughout Wednesday. 

“We saw that Bibi was progressing last night, and we started really paying attention closer to 7:30 p.m.,” said Wingate. “And we decided that closer to 9 [p.m.] it did seem as though Bibi was pushing and getting really close.”

Wingate checked on Bibi to make sure the baby hadn’t arrived yet. After that, she went back inside her workspace to monitor Bibi from the computer. 

“She was off camera and not in a great spot for us to see anything,” she said. “But I heard like this plop and splat and immediately got up.”

She found the calf lying on the ground, sloppy and wet. It didn’t take long before Bibi and the baby were bonding.

“She’s been doing really well, very nurturing and allowing the baby to nurse and rest on her and helping it in the water and it’s doing really well,” she said. 

Wingate and the care team allowed the mother and baby to bond and have yet to weigh or name it.

“When we get the opportunity, without doing anything that would stress Bibi out, or baby out too much, and we get a really good visual, then we’ll definitely announce it,” she said. 

Over the next couple of days, the care team hopes to see the baby hippo gain more strength and explore its surroundings.

Wingate said she’s grateful to be a part of the process. 

“This just job has really rewarding moments, and really difficult moments, and really messy moments,” she said. “And things like this come around every five years or every so often. So it’s like this big reward and helps it all be completely worth it.”