Miata

Miata was born on 23 February 2021 and, for several members of her care team, was the first young animal they helped raise from infancy. As a calf, she was especially curious about her surroundings and was often observed following fish moving through the pool in her habitat with great interest.

Over time, she has grown into a confident young pygmy hippo with a strong interest in both food and familiar keepers — priorities which, from Miata’s perspective, appear equally important.

An important stage in Miata’s development came when her mother, Psota, began encouraging greater independence — a natural milestone for pygmy hippos as calves mature. With steady support from the care team, Miata adjusted well and gradually became more confident on her own. Today, she regularly approaches familiar keepers for interaction, particularly snout rubs during calm sessions.

After wash-downs following mud baths, she has also been observed moving about the habitat with considerable enthusiasm, suggesting that clean skin may be slightly more exciting than one might expect for an animal that spends much of its day in mud.

When Miata was first introduced to the middle exhibit, she initially explored the new environment cautiously. Her keepers noted a clear turning point once she began comfortably rolling in the mud wallows — generally regarded as a reliable sign that a pygmy hippo has settled into its surroundings.

Since then, she has shown strong curiosity toward enrichment items and responds particularly well to familiar keepers, while, with others, acknowledgement may consist only of a brief ear flick.

Pygmy hippos are Endangered, with fewer than 2,500 remaining in the wild. Miata is part of the EAZA Ex-situ Programme (EEP), contributing to the coordinated global effort to maintain a healthy, genetically diverse population of this species under human care.

Miata’s growth from dependent calf to independent young hippo reflects the resilience of a species now facing increasing pressure in the wild, and the importance of continued conservation efforts.