Move over Moo Deng. Texas, meet Akobi, the newest, shiniest pygmy hippopotamus to ever live in Houston. This week, the Houston Zoo adorably announced the arrival of Akobi, which means “first born” in Yoruba, a West African language. 

The zoo says Akobi is a male 4 1/2-year-old pygmy hippo that recently moved to Texas from San Francisco. Akobi weighs 477 pounds and was born in San Diego Zoo in April of 2020. (A pandemic baby! They’re built different.) 

Akobi’s arrival is part of a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquarium Species Survival Plan Program. Pygmy hippos are rare and native to West African rainforests. The nearly half-ton animals mostly look for food at night and spend up to six hours a day eating. We sincerely hope Akobi is in a position to make tiny baby pygmy hippos, like Thailand’s Moo Deng, who was born in July, or Scotland’s new arrival, Haggis.

Read more about Akobi at the Houston Zoo.

Leslie Rangel, a first generation daughter of Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants, is deputy managing editor for The Barbed Wire. Her award-winning journalism is focused on issues of health, mental wellness,...