Adorable Newborn Pygmy Hippo Learns How To Swim

[news]

[news]

An endangered pygmy hippopotamus has been born at Bristol Zoo in England -- and it's just simply adorable.

The sex of the 3-week-old calf, seen learning how to swim in these wonderful photos, isn't yet known as he/she has been keeping very close to its mom.



But the new addition is feeding well and "looking very strong," according to the zoo's assistant curator Lynsey Bugg.



The youngster, which weighs around 8 pounds, joined parents Sirana and Nato in the zoo's Hippo House -- currently closed to visitors so that the infant can settle in -- last week.



"It spends short periods of time in the water but is not quite as good at swimming as its parents so we often see mom Sirana guiding her little one back into the shallow water," said Bugg in a statement posted onto the zoo's website.

Pygmy hippos, born after a 6-month gestation period, only grow to an average of 2-feet 7-inches tall, and are under threat -- with only 2,000 believed to be surviving in the wild.

Bristol Zoo is part of an international captive breeding program for the animal.

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