Ohio’s Fiona the hippo is getting a sibling

CINCINNATI (WJW) — The Cincinnati Zoo family is growing, with a new hippopotamus on the way.

“You guessed it – Fiona is going to be a big sister,” the zoo wrote on Twitter, also pointing out they’d need more watermelon (a hippo treat).

Mom Bibi gave birth to famed hippo Fiona back in 2017, but it wasn’t without some difficulty.

“The hippo team is excited and also nervous,” team manager Eric Byrd said in a statement.  “As most people know, Bibi’s first baby, Fiona, was born six weeks premature and wouldn’t have survived without the intervention of her human caregivers. We are hoping for a full-term pregnancy and will be doing everything we can to support Bibi.”

At this time the zoo is monitoring Bibi’s pregnancy, with the new baby hippo expected to arrive in late summer.

The new hippo’s father is 18-year-old Tucker, who arrived at the zoo last September.