San Diego Zoo

Baby Hippo at San Diego Zoo Gets a Name

It is the ninth hippo calf born at the zoo and the 13th to her mother, Funani

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A baby hippopotamus born at the San Diego Zoo last month has a name.

The zoo said the river hippo calf will be called Amahle (pronounced ah-MA-shay), which means “beautiful one” in Zulu.

The name was announced Friday on “Good Morning America,” which held an online poll asking viewers to choose among three African names.

Amahle, who was born on Feb. 8, weighs about 100 pounds and is “active and healthy," a zoo statement said.

Amahle is the ninth hippo calf born at the zoo and the 13th to her mother, Funani.

Amahle's father, Otis, is an East African hippo who arrived at the zoo in 2009 specifically to breed with Funani, zoo officials said.

Zoo visitors can see Amahle and her mother in the hippo habitat on Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends, officials said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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