This Burns night, has a pygmy hippo outshined the traditional dish, becoming Scotland’s most beloved haggis?
Reciting the bard’s famous poem “Address to a Haggis” penned in 1786 has long been a staple of celebrating the poetic legacy of Robert Burns. Yet, a heartwarming new tradition seems to be emerging.
Inspired by the poet’s iconic work, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) recently published an ‘Ode to Haggis’, available to view in full on their website.
This poem, however, honours not the meal served with neeps and tatties, but a deeply treasured resident of Edinburgh Zoo.
Haggis is one of four pygmy hippos currently living in the zoo. These semi-aquatic mammals, native to West Africa, have quickly charmed visitors.
A wee bairn born, a creature rare…
The poem features the line “a wee bairn born, a creature rare”. Given the endangered nature of the species, with only 2,500 estimated to exist in the wild, this poignantly captures why Haggis is so important, and highlights the RZSS’s mission to “protect vulnerable wildlife.”
Haggis’ birth in October 2024 was a significant milestone in the conservation of the species.
It seems only fitting, then, that she be praised with an Ode, a type of lyric poem used to glorify and exalt its subject.
Perhaps, with this newfound literary recognition, Haggis has entered into the new generation of cultural Scottish icons.
So whether it’s your first Burns’ night or your fiftieth, raise a toast to Haggis the Hippo, and the fight to protect endangered animals across the globe.
Illustration by Niyah Lawrence