GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — You can now meet the newest member of the John Ball Zoo family.
The first, a female pygmy hippo named Penelope. She joins male pygmy hippo Jahari, who arrived earlier this year.
There is hope that Penelope and Jahari will produce more pygmy hippos, but they're not quite ready for that yet.
Jaime Racalla, an animal care supervisor with the zoo, says Penelope arrived a few weeks ago.
She is 5 years old, which is still considered young because pygmy hippos can live up into their 30s.
The public can see her now. She's on display in the indoor habitat at the zoo.
Zookeepers say Penelope is a sweet, sassy, stubborn girl who enjoys lettuce and has quickly earned a soft spot in everyone's hearts.
"They're both great characters to me. And it's just a chance to really get out with your kids and see something that you're not gonna be able to check out at home. And that way we can really have you guys connect to wildlife and wild places here at the zoo," Racalla said.
Penelope has not joined Jahari in his habitat because staff say she is still getting used to the new environment.
"They are an endangered species that are managed, I'm looking at their gene pool so that we can help that species out. So there's potential down the road that there could be breeding between Jahari and Penelope. But for now, they're just going to get used to their own spaces," Racalla said.
Also, the zoo announced yesterday that red panda Wasabi successfully gave birth to her second litter of cubs with mate Wyatt.
Animal care staff are monitoring mom and babies via video cameras.
This is great news for the red panda, another endangered species with less than 2,500 adults left in the wild.
Over the next few months the cubs will continue to grow and get stronger, then they will start exploring their habitat.
You can stay up to date on their progress and Penelope's through the zoo's social media pages.
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