Huckleberry, Greensboro's pygmy hippo, turning 2; ‘80% adorable, 20% mischief'
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — One of Greensboro's cutest animal residents is having a birthday!
Huckleberry, the pygmy hippo who lives with her mother Holly and father Ralph at the Greensboro Science Center, will turn 2 years old on May 24.
The little hippo captured hearts locally when she was born in 2023, but 2024 saw a huge spike in the global awareness of pygmy hippos after the viral celebrity of Moo Deng in Thailand. After Moo, there came Scotland's Haggis and Virginia's Poppy, among others.
All pygmy hippos are beautiful, of course, but the Piedmont Triad had a charismatic baby superstar first, which counts for a lot.
Her keeper, Mike, says 'When she started to be more independent, Huckleberry would go and explore new spaces and act like a tough hippo. When mom would walk away to a new area and Huckleberry did not see her do this, she would jump on the spot as soon as she realized mom wasn't there and run to where mom was. Huckleberry = 80% adorable, 20% mischief.'
That math adds up!
If you're interested in visiting Huckleberry, she'll be celebrating her birthday in style Saturday morning!
The pygmy hippopotamus weighs in a lot leaner than their river hippo cousin, only reaching a scant 350 to 600 pounds versus the river hippos' multi-ton average. Pygmy hippos are considered an endangered species in their native West Africa.
You can keep up with Huckleberry and the other animals at the Greensboro Science Center on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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