Thursday, 31 July
Pygmy hippo Toni to leave Berlin Zoo at the end of August
Toni the pygmy hippo will leave Berlin Zoo at the end of August, according to a statement shared on Facebook. “As you probably already know, our hippo Toni will be leaving Berlin. Now it’s official: she’ll stay with us until the end of August,” wrote zoo staff, adding that the “sweet little heartbreaker” will receive a special send-off.
Toni turned one just last month and already tips the scales at over 100 kilos – not bad for someone who weighed just 3.5 kg at birth. Her departure isn’t unexpected: pygmy hippos typically move to new homes around their first birthday, as part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP). The decision, zoo officials stressed, was “not taken lightly” and follows long-term conservation planning for the species, which is listed as endangered.
Where she’s headed remains under wraps, but one thing is certain: her fans will follow. Toni has become something of a viral star, with videos of her antics regularly clocking up millions of views online.
