Haggis, an endangered pygmy hippo calf, was born at Edinburgh Zoo on Wednesday 30 October.
The female calf was given the name by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).
Pygmy hippos are classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and are native to West Africa. It is estimated that only 2,500 remain in the wild.
Her parents, Otto and Gloria, welcomed another calf, Amara, in 2021, who was moved to London Zoo as part of a European breeding programme.
Haggis is the same pygmy hippo species as Moo Deng, a viral sensation who lives in Thailand.
Moo Deng attracted international attention on social media this autumn and has raised awareness about the breed’s risk of extinction as a result.
Haggis has also garnered global interest, with outlets like the New York Times, CNN, and France 24 reporting her arrival.
Edinburgh Zoo announced the birth of Haggis in a post on X, with the tweet “Moo Deng? Who deng?”.
The zoo has since apologised for their post, saying that there is space for “two beautiful pygmy hippo divas” and that they were wrong to “pit Haggis and Moo Deng against each other”.
Jonny Appleyard, hoofstock team leader at Edinburgh Zoo, said in a statement that “Haggis is doing really well” in a statement.
He added that the pygmy hippo house will remain closed for the first 30 days to allow the handlers to keep a close eye on the calf.
In celebration of the birth, RZSS has launched a prize draw campaign, where the winner will receive a unique pygmy hippo experience at Edinburgh Zoo. Those looking for a chance to meet Haggis in person can enter via the zoo’s crowdfunding page.
Image via RZSS