One special girl is celebrating her birthday and she received the sweetest message.
On January 24, the TikTok account for the Cincinnati Zoo (@cincinnatizoo) shared a video celebrating one of their famous residents in honor of her birthday. Take a look!
@cincinnatizooHappy Birthday, Fiona! We can’t believe it’s been 7 years! #teamfiona #cincinnatizoo #fionathehipppo #hippo ♬ original sound – NOFEELINGS. – NOFEELINGS.
In a short but adorable 9-second video, we meet up with Fiona, the young hippo who is celebrating a birthday.
Related: Baby Hippo at the Cincinnati Zoo Tries to ‘Hitch a Ride’ in Irresistible Video
Fiona the hippo is now 7-years-old
In the clip, we learn that Fiona is celebrating her seventh birthday with the help of her zookeepers.
The video starts with a close-up shot of Fiona’s tiny but big snout when she was born. Fiona has lived at the zoo since birth and has been raised by the zookeepers after being born prematurely and requiring around-the-clock care.
It’s safe to say she’s developed a bond with her humans, and they have returned that love and affection for the past seven years.
After showing baby Fiona, the video switched to a real-time look at the sweet hippo, and watching, we can see how far she’s come and how much she’s grown since being bottle-fed.
“Happy Birthday, Fiona,” the video’s caption read. “We can’t believe it’s been 7 years!”
In the comments, other viewers left messages for Fiona in honor of her birthday.
“My fav flex is that I share a birthday with Fiona,” one viewer admitted.
“Because of her AMAZING zoo-keeping team!!!” someone else added. “Happy birthday, Princess Fiona!!”
“Awww Happy Birthday to the sweetest,” another TikTok viewer shared. “Can’t believe it’s been seven years already!”
“Aww, Fiona! What joy you have brought,” someone else added.
Interesting facts about Fiona
On the Cincinnati Zoo’s website, they share several details about Fiona, which is especially helpful for anyone who doesn’t know her yet. However, she is now “world-famous,” according to the zoo.
“Fiona is famous for surviving! She was born 6 weeks before she was due and was too small to stand and nurse from her mom, Bibi,” the website continues.
Adding, “The Zoo’s care team had to step in and figure out how to feed her, what to feed her, how to keep her warm, and how to manage critical care 24/7 while juggling other daily responsibilities.”
The zoo acknowledges that it “took a village” to get Fiona to where she is now, and there’s no slowing her down.
According to National Geographic, baby hippos tend to stay with their mom for a while, with some calves opting to leave around seven years old.
“Soon after birth, mother and young join schools that provide some protection against crocodiles, lions, and hyenas,” the popular site reads.
Hippos once had a broader distribution but now live in eastern central and southern sub-Saharan Africa, where their populations are in decline.”
Given this species’ endangered, everyone is rooting for Fiona’s continued health and safety.
