Meet Penelope, an absolutely adorable pygmy hippo who lives at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Here she is enjoying a special treat—a snow hippo created by staff at the zoo. Penelope is curious about the snow treat, but seems to remain skeptical. Instead, she decides to happily munch on the lettuce that sits next to it. And in this video, you can see Penelope playing in the water, eating vegetables, and more.
Penelope arrived at the zoo in June 2023 as part of a conservation effort, in hopes that she might breed with another new arrival to the zoo, male pygmy hippo Jahari, who, in May 2023, unfortunately attacked and killed a sitatunga antelope named Chopper as they were being introduced to each other with the hopes of sharing an enclosure. The event caused the zoo's "HippoPalooza" celebration to be postponed. Theevent resulted in the zoo making changes to its protocols for introducing animals.
To see more of Penelope and Jahari and to learn more about Joe Ball Zoo, visit their website or Instagram.
Previously: Man recalls the time he was swallowed by a hippopotamus
