For most of last month, Pragathi rarely left the water and most visitors missed out on the sight of her coming out for her meal.
She is the eight-year-old female hippopotamus in Vandalur zoo and this was her condition till she delivered a male calf on October 20. Zoo authorities said for nearly three weeks she had spent her time in the water. But, once her calf was born, she started coming out, and is now often seen on land with the young one.
Normally, a hippopotamus will not deliver if the atmosphere and environment is not conducive. Zoo officials had provided a separate enclosure for the pregnant hippo, where visitors were not allowed, to ensure a smooth delivery.
The delivery took place in the water, soon after which the calf started swimming. For the first few hours, it was suckling the mother while in the water, zookeepers said.
Vamboori, the male hippo, which came through an animal exchange programme from Basel zoo in Switzerland, is the father of the calf, which is the third hippo to be delivered in captivity at the Vandalur zoo. The first was Pragathi herself, followed by Thrisha, another female hippo, authorities said.
Both the mother and the calf are yet to be released into the regular enclosure for public view.
Meanwhile, officials are ensuring that Pragathi’s enclosure is hygienically maintained and cleaning the water in the enclosure on alternate days, zoo authorities added.
