Fiona the Hippo Has a Brother! Cincinnati Zoo Reveals Mom Bibi's New Calf Is a Boy

The baby hippo has yet to meet his world-famous sister, but is "doing so well," Cincinnati Zoo representative Amy Labarbara said on Monday

bibi the hippo
Bibi and Fritz days after his birth. Photo: Cincinnati Zoo/Twitter

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden on Monday finally revealed the sex of Fiona the Hippo's headline-making new sibling, and it's a boy!

Mother hippo Bibi gave birth to the healthy baby hippo on Wednesday, but zoo officials kept their distance from the calf in order to not interfere with parental bonding, meaning the baby's sex remained unknown at first.

But on Monday morning, zoo spokesperson Amy Labarbara dropped the news on the Today show, revealing "we have a bouncing baby boy."

"He's amazing," Labarbara added, as some recent footage of the newborn played on the NBC morning show. "He's doing so well. He's so strong. Just staying right with his mom and doing everything we want a baby hippo to do. He's swimming and just doing great."

The one thing the boy hippo has yet to do? Meet his famous sister!

"He has not met her yet, he's seen her from a distance," Labarbara said, explaining that the introducing the two is "kind of a slow process."

The hippo also still doesn't have a name, the Cincinnati zoo collecting suggestions from the public via an online form.

They will review submissions and announce the name later this week.

Today co-anchor Craig Melvin had previously suggested the Hippo be named "Hoda" after colleague Hoda Kotb, but on Monday, changed his answer of "Al" in honor of weatherman Al Roker.

RELATED VIDEO: Fiona the Hippo Is a Big Sister! Cincinnati Zoo Star's Mom Bibi Gives Birth to Second Baby

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In a release on Monday, Christina Gorsuch — the Cincinnati Zoo's director of animal care — gave an update on the new baby boy.

"We're just happy that the calf is healthy. The sex didn't matter much to the hippo team, but it will be interesting to observe and compare the behavioral differences between a hand-raised girl and a mom-raised boy," Gorsuch said. "Will this calf be as comfortable with humans as Fiona is? Will he be less independent? Will he love cameras?"

As for how the calf is doing with its mother?

"Bibi and the baby are doing great together. They are inseparable, which is why it took almost five days to be sure about the sex," said Gorsuch. "They will continue to bond inside for another week or two. Fiona and Tucker are outside, so visitors will still be able to see hippos when they come to the Zoo."

Zoo members have access to live cams in the outdoor habitat and can watch the action in Hippo Cove from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. daily, the zoo said in a release.

Plenty of hippo updates are made daily on the zoo's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube accounts.

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