Visit the L.A. Zoo to See Its Newest Resident: A Baby Hippo

Anyone in the vicinity of Los Angeles, or visiting there soon, should make a date to visit the L.A. Zoo & Botanical Gardens, which welcomed a surprise guest recently: a baby hippo.

The baby hippo was unplanned and a surprise to zoo officials, who began to suspect momma Mara was pregnant when she began gaining weight. The unnamed hippo is the first to be born at the L.A. Zoo in 26 years. Momma and baby are bonding and zookeepers will soon learn the sex of the new baby.

Visitors to the L.A. Zoo can see the new baby, along with its mother and father, Adhama, daily. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (If you can’t make it to the zoo, follow the hippo @LAZoo, #LAZooBabyHippo for videos and pictures.)

–Lissa Poirot