Mela, Turkey's one and only pygmy hippopotamus calf greeted visitors at a zoo in the northwestern city of Kocaeli, which neighbors Istanbul. The three-month-old, who was born at Darıca zoo, accompanied her mother as she shyly stared at visitors inside her enclosure.
Weighing a mere 40kgs, the amphibious creature became the newest member of the place where 3,600 animals from 286 species live.
Zoo official Gökmen Aydın says that Mela never leaves her mother and her mother still breastfeeds her. "We don't push her too much to stick to her daily diet," he said. The zoo built a special pool for the infant hippopotamus where it can roll in the mud before the eyes of visitors who flock to the site to see the newcomer to the zoo.
The pygmy hippo is an endangered species native to the forests and swamps of West Africa. They can live between 30 and 55 years in captivity and weigh up to 275 kg.
