Prince Harry Hippo Rejected by Mother, But Loved by All (VIDEO)
A 6-day-old pygmy hippo calf in South Africa has been named after Prince Harry in honor of the Prince's ties to the country.
The puppy-sized hippo was rejected by his mother after birth, which left him in the care of humans. Despite his puppy dog looks however, little Harry consumes just a bit more that a puppy dog. The pygmy hippo requires 125mL of milk every three hours for at least the next three months until he is able to feed himself.
Harry weighs 11 pounds and was born last Thursday at a wildlife sanctuary in Africa. While Harry's mother may not have considered him a bundle of joy, those around the center appear quite taken by having the company of a baby hippo, who appears to be getting the treatment of a prince.
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Less than a foot tall now, Harry is not expected to grow beyond three feet. Handler Toni Inggs has landed the much-envied role of caring for the mud-loving prince.
"We were absolutely delighted when Harry arrived on Thursday. His parents Hilda and Herbert mated successfully last year and we waited patiently for the result," Rob Hall, the reserve's manager was quoted by Daily Mail. "Hilda was pregnant for 210 days before Harry arrived in the early hours of Thursday. Sadly Hilda struggled with being a mother and showed no maternal instinct so we have removed him and are rearing him by hand."
Hall also commented on why they had name the hippo Harry.
"We knew we wanted to call him something beginning with H and it suddenly struck us to name him Harry after the prince," Hall stated. "Our team here loves Prince Harry as he shows true grit and is passionate about Africa. Our little guy is already proving he's made of similar stuff and is determined to make the most of life."
