Hippo baby Fiona is movin' on up
For previous Fiona the hippo updates, click or tap here.
Update, Feb. 24: Good news, Fiona fans! The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens' one-month-old baby hippo is movin' on up – to a bigger swimming pool.
Her IV has been removed, and vets gave her the green light to resume supervised pool time. That exercise will help her build muscle and lung strength and keep her skin moist. (Note, though, that hippos don't actually swim. They can float and hold their breath for a long time, though.)
Fiona's new, larger pool is close to her parents, which will allow her to see and smell them.
Her weight is also movin' up: She's closing in on 60 pounds.
Update, Feb. 22: Busken Bakery is selling Fiona-themed cookies at its locations with a dollar from each purchase going to support the Cincinnati Zoo's premature baby hippo Fiona, the bakery announced on its social media accounts Wednesday morning.
Busken joins the pastry kitchen at Taste of Belgium in selling Fiona baked goods.
Update, Feb. 21: Today's Fiona news is good news. The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens' premature baby hippo took two bottles this morning. She's also displaying more energy: Though she's still getting fluids via IV, she has been able to get up and move around with a little help from her caregivers.
Update, Feb. 20: Baby hippo Fiona needed some extra help on Friday, so the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden called in some outside experts who know how to deal with premature babies – staff members from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
The little hippo was dehydrated and needed to get life-saving fluids via IV. But that's a difficult task when such small veins are involved.
“Preemies have very tiny and unstable veins, and even though our vet team was able to get multiple IVs placed, the veins could not sustain the IV and would blow,” zoo curator of mammals Christina Gorsuch said in a news release. “Lucky for us, we’re right next door to a world-class facility with a whole department dedicated to working with difficult veins.”
She's referring to the Cincinnati Children’s Vascular Access Team (VAT). Two of its members brought sensitive ultrasound equipment to the zoo and placed an IV catheter in Fiona. It lasted about 30 minutes before the vein blew.
But the second time was a charm. That IV catheter, placed in one of her deep leg veins, has been in place since Friday afternoon. Zoo vet staff members have been with Fiona around the clock to monitor it.
“Five bags of fluid later, Fiona is showing signs of recovery,” Gorsuch said. “She is still sleeping a lot but has started to take bottles again and has periods of carefully-supervised activity.”
Cincinnati Children's has helped the zoo out in the past: Giving CT and MRI scans to Ali the aardvark, consulting on baby gorillas and weighing in on polar bear pregnancy tests, for example.
The story below was posted on Friday, Feb. 17.
Little Fiona could be better.
The Cincinnati Zoo's premature baby hippo is lethargic, and she isn't showing much interest in her bottle. Her caregivers are giving her fluids via tube feedings, keeping her weight gain slight but acceptable.
They've also been working to relieve her teething pain. Meanwhile, vets are investigating other causes for her recent setback.
"Everyone at the Zoo is thankful for the love and support our community has shown us for the past three weeks," zoo officials said. "Please keep the prayers and positive energy flowing. #TeamFiona."
Fiona was born six weeks premature and weighed only 29 pounds, much lower than the recorded birth weight range for her species (55-120 pounds). Unable to nurse from her mother, she's been cared for by zoo staff since her Jan. 24th birth.