CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Chiang Mai Zoo officials are urging tourists to see their new baby hippopotamus, “Nong Som Poy,” while she is still at her most adorable age. The female calf was born during the traditional Lanna New Year, or Songkran festival, at Chiang Mai Zoo. Her name, which translates to a sacred local plant used in rituals to ward off evil, was chosen by the public in an online vote that drew over half of the total submissions. At just 2 months old, little Som Poy stays glued to her mother. The mother is extremely protective of her calf and won’t even let other family members close. She spends most of her time nursing and cuddling her calf in the water. To accommodate them, the zoo has temporarily arranged a private space exclusive to the mother and her calf.
Visitors currently catch glimpses of the calf only a few times a day when the mother surfaces from their pool to feed, officials added. “Hippopotamuses grow rapidly,” zoo officials said in a statement, noting that Som Poy already weighs 40 kilograms (88 pounds) but will eventually grow to weigh several tonnes, making her indistinguishable from the rest of the adult herd. The duo will rejoin the rest of the herd once Nong Som Poy grows bigger and stronger. (TNA)
