Fiona the Prematurely-Born Hippo Loves Playing With Hose

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens’ premature baby hippopotamus, Fiona, loves pool time and going for a swim. It looks like she also enjoys playing in the water from a hose.

The zoo released video of Fiona on Wednesday, March 15, playing in the hose for the first time. Her parents — Bibi and Henry — also both like hose play, the zoo said.

The water was slightly cooler than in her pool, the zoo said. Her care team has to pay attention to details like water temperature because Fiona isn’t fully able to thermoregulate her body.

Fiona was born six weeks early in January and has received care from the zoo staff since then. In a blog post earlier this week, the zoo said Fiona’s lung development has caught up enough that she no longer needs supplemental oxygen. Fiona also now weighs more than 80 pounds, well into the normal birth weight for a hippo. She was born at just 29 pounds. Credit: YouTube/Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens via Storyful