'Already making himself at home': Baby hippo Fritz makes big splash at first public appearance

He's officially arrived. Fritz, that is, the brand spanking new baby hippo made his public debut to an adoring crowd of media first, then to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's members.

The two-week-old brother to Fiona was ready for his close-up. Fiona, it seems, is not the only star in this pool.

Around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Fritz and Bibi waddled onto the Hippo Cove rocks and eased into the shallow water. At first, there were only reporters on the other side of the glass, practically climbing on top of each other to get a photo of the calf.

He obliged, teasing the assembled by waggling his tiny toes under water and popping his baby ears occasionally over the top of the pool’s surface. Mom was never very far behind.

A few minutes later, zoo members got to share in the surprise unveiling.

“He seems comfortable,” said 26-year-old Elizabeth Nevin, who was at the Cove with her 2-year-old son Isaac. “Like he’s already making himself at home.”

Behind the scenesThe birth of the new baby hippo surprised keepers

More:Fritz met Fiona with a 'boop' of the nose

Since the calf was born Aug. 3, he has mostly stayed in his indoor habitat, bonding and nursing with Bibi, completely away from the public's in-person eye. Through videos and livestreams, the public got to see Fritz tumble around his indoor habitat, cozy up to mom Bibi and munch on lettuce and hay.

But as zookeepers gradually exposed Fritz to the outdoor Hippo Cove with his mom, and noticed how well Fritz and Bibi were doing in the water, they decided it was time. Fritz could spend more time outdoors. More time outdoors meant people could at long last get to see him.

Next to his mama, Fritz looked tiny. He had his signature shininess and big, bulging eyes, a trait that zookeeper Jenna Wingate said comes from Fritz’s dad, Tucker.

This might be the case, but there was no doubt Fritz is Bibi’s son.

Upon entering the blue-green pool of the cove, Fritz cuddled close to Bibi. Sometimes he would nurse, other times he would just bop around her, staying in the shadow of his mother’s protection.

But as the minutes passed, Fritz became more comfortable and showed some of the “spunky” personality Wingate describes. He began blowing bubbles from his nostrils, doing flips and even coming to the habitat's glass, giving reporters an up-close look at his face.

He was doing so well, the zoo felt it safe to let others catch a glimpse.

"We had no idea it'd be an option," Matt Reis, 39, from Lebanon, said about getting to see Fritz in-person. Reis was there with his parents and two sons, Owen, 4, and Miles, 18 months. "But it's really cool, being one of the first people to see him."

Some, like Rhonda Daugherty, a 64-year-old woman from Delhi, had heard the rumor that Fritz might be out soon and decided to visit the zoo in case Fritz was indeed out. Others, like Tori Wilkens, a 37-year-old from Batavia, saw Fritz based on pure luck. She was at the gorilla habitat when she overheard that Fritz was at Hippo Cove, and without wasting a second, the mother of two grabbed her daughters and raced over to the habitat.

There were hard-core Cincinnati hippo fans who had seen Fiona when she was first brought out to the cove. There were also a few "Team Fiona" hats and tees. (Sorry, no Fritz merchandise yet. Caution seems to be the watchword here.)

"I'm trying not to fall too much in love with him," said Daugherty, who wore a Team Fiona baseball cap. She understands that as Fritz and Fiona grow up, Fritz might have to leave the habitat for a different zoo. "It's a restrained love."

For those who didn’t get to see him this time around, there will be more chances. Starting Friday, all zoo visitors will have the opportunity to see baby Fritz. He will be out in the habitat with Bibi for periods of time, and when he's not, dad Tucker and sister Fiona will be in the cove.

Many people are excited to see all four of them together, but Wingate said this could take some weeks to months.

As expected, the crowd started to expand Thursday, and Bibi became more protective of Fritz, hiding him behind her body, making him less visible to the public.

"Bibi is doing a fantastic job," Wingate said, she keeps him close and makes sure Fritz is safe. "He's basically like Velcro."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Zoo's baby hippo Fritz makes his public debut