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Growing baby hippo Fiona gets a bigger bottle

Posted at 1:07 PM, Mar 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-03 13:11:13-05

CINCINNATI -- Fiona the hippo weighed just 29 pounds when she was born six weeks premature. It was the lightest recorded birth for her species.

Now, thanks to round-the-clock care at the Cincinnati Zoo, Fiona weighed in at 68 pounds Friday, according to the latest update from the zoo. The baby hippo has gotten so big that her caretakers have swapped to a new bigger bottle to match her appetite.

Fiona was born too weak to stand on her own and, at times, her caretakers have had to keep her nourished via a feeding tube and IV. Now she seems to be steadily growing -- she gained 5 pounds since Tuesday.

Fiona has grown so much that she also graduated to a "big girl" pool, where she romps around and practices rolling.

 

Click here for more adorable photos or tap the image below:

On last week's episode of "Hear Cincinnati," WCPO.com's Maxim Alter talked one-on-one with Dr. Jessya Wojtusik, a member of Fiona's care team at the Cincinnati Zoo. Listen below (interview starts at about 13:45):