Bibi might be going into labor. Cincinnati Zoo's Hippo Cove keepers are watching closely for calf birth

Terry DeMio, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read
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Jenna Wingate, a senior keeper at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, pregnant with her first child, works with hippo, Bibi.
Jenna Wingate, a senior keeper at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, pregnant with her first child, works with hippo, Bibi.

Update 7 p.m.: Zoo officials said they are still cautiously waiting for the new baby hippo’s arrival. After showing signs of restlessness Tuesday morning, zoo staff realized Bibi wanted to be alone inside the hippo barn. She is now in the indoor hippo pool, snacking, resting, and getting comfortable.

Cincinnati's beloved and world-known hippo Fiona just might be a big sister soon.

Hippo keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden noticed Bibi's behavior changing Tuesday, and they brought her inside Hippo Cove to keep her comfortable, said Michelle Curley, the zoo's spokesperson.

"The keepers have observed behaviors that may indicate that she's in labor," Curley said Tuesday evening. "We're keeping a close eye on her."

Bibi's pregnancy was a bit of a surprise in the spring. Keepers thought she was acting a little different even though she'd been taking hippo birth control, edible on a slice of bread each day. When they did an ultrasound, voila, they found out she was pregnant. That was in April.

The keepers hoped Bibi would carry the new hippo full term - unlike Fiona, who was born prematurely on Jan. 24, 2017, six weeks early and weighing far too few pounds: just 29.

This time around things are different, Bibi's keepers say.

They'd initially targeted mid-August for the birth of a healthy calf, but later said a birth now would be considered full term. So far, so good.

Hippos are known to have about a 12-hour labor, Africa head keeper Wendy Rice said, with two to three hours during which the calf is in the birth canal.

Like mom, like Bibi. Cincinnati Zoo hippo keepers prepped for birth with motherly instinct

As of early Tuesday evening, Bibi was relaxing in her indoor pool, Curley said.

She's being watched 24-7 and keepers have a phone tree so that they are alerted whenever she appears to start to give birth, tonight or any other day.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bibi Cincinnati Zoo hippo mom shows signs she may be in labor