Hippo hippo shake!

Nicky and Thug, London Zoo’s endangered pygmy hippos, will be taking a promenade through the zoo to their refurbished outdoor enclosure on Friday morning.

The hippos live inside during the winter, but spend the summer wallowing around in their outdoor pool and basking in the sunshine.

You are invited to come along to the zoo and see them being led across the public footpath to their new home before the gates open.

As the hippos spend much of their day wallowing in water, it’s a great opportunity to see them walking about.

Their outdoor area has been planted with long lush grass for the hippos to wander through and their pool contains some of their favourite toys, including rubber balls and floating logs.

Notes to editors

Pygmy hippos:
Pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis) was included on the IUCN red list of endangered species for the first time this year.
They are from West Africa where they live in lowland forests and swamps, eating fallen fruits, ferns, shrubs and grasses.
Pygmy hippos usually spend daylight hours in or around the water keeping cool, but emerge to feed in the forest at night. Their hairless skin secretes a substance which may act as sunscreen and antibacterial agent.
ZSL:
Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. ZSL runs London Zoo and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology and is actively involved in field conservation in other countries worldwide. For further information please visit www.zsl.org

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Emma Kenly
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Emma Kenly