It's been a miraculous two years for the Cincinnati Zoo's world-famous hippopotamus. Fiona only weighed 29 pounds when she was born Jan. 24, 2017. The normal range for a baby hippo is 55 to 120 pounds.
The whole world seemed to fall in love with the preemie hippo and followed her momentous recovery. Last month, a healthy Fiona weighed in at 1,000 pounds.
“Fiona is remarkable for being unremarkable now,” said Christina Gorsuch, Cincinnati Zoo Curator of Mammals, in a press release. “She’s just like most other 2-year-old hippos, except for the fact that she’s a celebrity in Cincinnati and beyond!”
This year the zoo will commemorate Fiona's birthday with videos and pictures throughout the day on the zoo's Facebook page and other social media platforms using #TeamFiona.
Fiona won’t be able to go outside on her birthday because of the cold, but visitors to the zoo can get a discount in the gift shops.
Some of the zoo’s partners in Cincinnati are marking Fiona’s birthday with specials.
Graeter’s Ice Cream now has Chunky Chunky Hippo available. A portion of the sale of the toffee ice cream with salted peanuts and milk chocolate caramel truffles benefits the zoo.
Listermann Brewing Company has rereleased Team Fiona in cans and Cincy Shirts in downtown Cincinnati, Loveland and Hyde Park will give away a free #TeamFiona temporary tattoo with every Fiona item sold on her birthday.
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