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Endangered pygmy hippo calf born at Edinburgh Zoo
Staff at Edinburgh Zoo plan to name the tiny calf in the coming weeks.

Tiny calf weighed just 5.4kg at birth.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland is celebrating the birth of an endangered pygmy hippo calf at Edinburgh Zoo.

The female calf was born on Saturday 17 April to parents Gloria and Otto, weighing just 5.4kg at birth. Zoo staff will be closely monitoring the family as they begin gradually allowing visitors to view the animals.

Jonny Appleyard, hoofstock team leader at Edinburgh Zoo, said: “Our new arrival is doing really well and is growing stronger and more confident every day.

“As she is still so young, we are limiting opening hours and numbers in our indoor viewing area to give the calf and mum Gloria some time to get used to visitors. The first 30 days are critical for her development, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on them both at this sensitive time and plan to name her in the coming weeks.”

Pygmy hippo populations are declining rapidly in their native home of West Africa, most commonly as a result of habitat destruction caused by logging, farming and human settlement.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) supports the species through the European Endangered Species programme – a population management programme for animals of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). It has also published the first ever genomic study of pygmy hippos through work in the RZSS WildGenes laboratory.

Edinburgh Zoo welcomed back visitors from across the UK on 26 April, with a number of safety measures in place.

Image (c) RZSS.

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Cold-water dip to raise funds for Vetlife

News Story 1
 The veterinary mental health charity Vetlife is inviting the veterinary community to join it for a sponsored cold-water dip.

The event will take place at Walpole Bay, Margate, on 17 May during Mental Health Awareness Week. Participants of all abilities can join in the challenge and are advised to bring a towel, a hot drink, a snack, and warm clothes to get changed into afterwards.

Those taking part are being asked to try to raise 100 each to support the work of the charity.

Details about how to take part can be found here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue low vector period ends

In an update to its bluetongue guidance, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the seasonal low vector period for the disease has ended.

With winter over, Defra is planning for a possible increase in cases as midges become more active. It has warned that farms along the east coast of England from Norfolk to Kent, and along the south coast from Kent to Devon, are at highest risk from infected midges blown over from northern Europe.

Since the virus was detected in England in November 2023, there have been 126 confirmed cases. The most recent case to be confirmed was on 1 March 2024.

Farmers are asked to continue to frequently monitor their livestock and ensure their animals and land are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.