🦛 Poppy
Pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) · Hippo Haven, Metro Richmond Zoo, Moseley, Virginia, USA
Lives in Hippo Cove
Poppy was born underwater at the Metro Richmond Zoo on 9 December 2024, weighing 15 pounds, to parents Iris and Corwin. The zoo announced her on Christmas Eve and put her name to a public vote: more than 116,000 people from 165 countries voted, and Poppy beat Hammie Mae 52.8% to 47.2%. A 'Poppy Cam' livestream followed in January 2025 and her clips have passed 62 million views on the zoo's channels, with appearances on TODAY twice, Good Morning America and Fox & Friends. She is a cousin of Moo Deng, and by her first birthday she weighed about 250 pounds.
What they do
Walks along the floor of her pool, then pushes off the bottom and pops straight up nose-first to breathe, ears clearing the surface last — sink, spring, surface..
A soft-footed little swimmer who would rather be at the bottom of the pool than anywhere on land.
Lore
- ★She was born underwater — the first of her mother Iris's calves to arrive that way.
- ★Her naming poll drew over 116,000 votes from 165 countries; she won with 52.8%.
- ★Her videos have passed 62 million views on the zoo's social channels.
- ★She is a cousin of Moo Deng, the Thai pygmy hippo who went viral in 2024.
Helping the real one
💛 Support Poppy via Metro Richmond ZooFetched and confirmed as the zoo's own donate page. The zoo is privately owned with no government funding, says animal care costs over $8,000 a day, and states plainly that these contributions are NOT tax-deductible. This opens their own official page. Money never touches this site.
Where this comes from
- Metro Richmond Zoo Poppy The Pygmy Hippo — official zoo page ↗
- Wikipedia Poppy (pygmy hippopotamus) ↗
- TODAY Name of baby pygmy hippo born at Virginia zoo has been revealed ↗
Every link here was checked twice before it was published. If one is dead or wrong, tell us.