News and Views

Abstract

AT the recent monthly meeting of the Zoological Society, the Duke of Bedford presented the bronze medal of the Society to Keeper E. Bowman for the successful rearing of the young male hippopotamus which was born in the Society's Gardens at Regent's Park last August. A similar award has not been made since the year 1872, when the last baby hippopotamus was reared by Michael Prescott and Arthur Thomson. This animal was “Guy Fawkes,” who afterwards lived for thirty-six years at the Zoo. In nine months the present youngster has trebled his birth-weight, which was in the region of a hundredweight, and now seems to be well on the way towards equalling the record set up by his famous predecessor. Some interesting facts were recorded at his birth and during the time which followed. From the Keeper's own observations in this case and previous records made by A. D. Bartlett in 1871 and 1872, the period of gestation for the hippopotamus has been fixed at 240 days. The mother's behaviour immediately before parturition indicated that in Nature birth probably takes place in very shallow water or in a bed of reeds at the water's edge. Although unable to stand or walk properly, the young one shuffled along on his knees into the water a few hours after birth and swam round the pond with his mother. After a time the mother submerged her body entirely and turned on her side. The young one immediately began to suckle under water, coming up to breathe at intervals varying from twenty to forty seconds. This he has continued to do up to the present time, although he has now cut a good set of milk teeth and is able to eat a certain amount of solid food. He has occasionally been observed to remain under water for so long as three minutes while suckling. The average time for an adult hippopotamus to stay submerged is four minutes.