Meet Chibuzo: The Zoo’s New Nile Hippo Calf
The Gulf Breeze Zoo is celebrating a significant addition to its animal family with the birth of a male Nile hippopotamus. Cleopatra, a longtime resident of the Zoo, delivered the calf on Sept. 23 after an eight-month pregnancy. The newborn, named Chibuzo, weighed about 75 pounds at birth. Both mother and calf are healthy and are already on exhibit.
Park Director Cassidy Mazzone said the arrival is an important moment for the Zoo and for the vulnerable Nile hippo population.
“We are excited to welcome a new member of our hippopotamus herd. Cleo is a great mother and has been bonding with her calf,” Mazzone said.
Cleopatra and the calf’s father, Kiboko, have lived at the Gulf Breeze Zoo since 2005. Chibuzo is their third calf born at the facility. Visitors can view the hippo family from the Safari Express Train as it passes the Kiboko River Station. The Zoo reports that the best viewing time is from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. each day.
Nile hippos spend most daylight hours partially submerged in water to stay cool, then graze on land at night. In the wild, they can walk as far as five miles to forage. Calves are born in the water and nurse underwater, surfacing every few minutes to breathe.
The species is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to habitat loss and illegal hunting for meat and ivory found in their canine teeth.
The Gulf Breeze Zoo participates in conservation efforts through its connection to Zoofari Parks, which includes the Alabama Safari Park, Texas Zoofari Park and the Virginia Safari Park. Together, these facilities support wildlife conservation through public education, breeding programs, habitat preservation and funding field projects through the Zoofari Parks Conservation Grants program.