Cincinnati Zoo's star attraction Fiona celebrates her sixth birthday with a ... trends now
After a year that saw her joyously welcome her new baby brother Fritz, Fiona - the Cincinnati Zoo's superstar hippo - celebrated her sixth birthday with a cake to match the occasion.
The oft-viral Nile hippo - who has over 17,000 followers on Instagram - enjoyed a birthday cake made out of frozen fruits and whipped yogurt icing.
She starts on the outside with some of the cake dressing, before diving right in and devouring the rest as onlookers sing 'Happy Birthday.'
At six, Fiona is now in the age range - 4 to 7 - when female hippos are considered mature.
After a year that saw her joyously welcome her new baby brother Fritz, Fiona - the Cincinnati Zoo's superstar hippo - celebrated her sixth birthday with a cake to match the occasion
Mark Tewes, the Cincinnati Zookeeper, told WMUR: 'We are seeing Fiona come into her maturity as an adult hippo.'
However, the cake may help achieve one of Tewes and the zoo's goals for the hippo this year.
'She's pretty much just a normal hippo at this point, luckily, we're still looking for her to gain a little bit of weight, she's still kind of at the smaller end.'
Fiona is believed to be the smallest Nile hippo ever to survive. She became a global celebrity after she was born on January 24, 2017, weighing in at just 29lb.
That is well below the average birth weight range of 55 to 120 pounds.
Speaking in 2020, Cincinnati Zoo director Thayne Maynard said: 'Fiona won the hearts of Cincinnatians when she fought to survive after being born six weeks early and terribly underweight.
'Three years later, people all over the world are still crazy about this normal, healthy hippo.'
The oft-viral Nile hippo - who has over 17,000 followers on Instagram - enjoyed a birthday cake made out of frozen fruits and whipped yogurt icing
She starts on the outside with some of the cake dressing, before diving right in and
