We met Fiona (and her fam!) up close. How these zoo hippos left us star-struck
Guys, I think my life is complete. Why, you ask?
Last week, I participated in a meet-and-greet with four of Cincinnati's biggest celebrities: Fiona, Fritz, Bibi and Tucker. Yes, the world-famous hippos at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.
I'm sure you're wondering what this experience was like. Perhaps you're even jealous. I wouldn't blame you. It was simply amazing being up-close-and-personal with these beautiful animals.
The Enquirer's TikTok team pulled up to Hippo Cove Thursday, Feb. 29, and met with Jenna Wingate, the hippos' primary caretaker. She took us past the gate that typically separates us mere humans from the mighty hippos, giving us VIP access to their habitat. The six reporters (including myself) crowded around the barrier wall, on the other side of which the bloat bopped around in the water.
Jenna then yelled the hippos' names, letting them know it was time for a tiny snack. And the fun began.
Meeting Fiona, the world-famous hippo
Bibi, mom to seven-year-old Fiona and one-year-old Fritz, came on over. She's "the boss," according to Jenna, so of course she was the first one ready to eat. The little ones followed close behind, while Tucker, dad to Fritz, drifted a few feet behind them.
Jenna started tossing romaine hearts and papayas in Bibi's wide-open mouth. The fruity smell of the papaya wafted in the air as we eagerly watched through our cameras, only stepping back when Tucker decided to cool us off with a big spray of water from his nostrils.
Gee, thanks Tuck!
As Jenna fed the hippos, she told us about their personalities. Bibi is super confident and stays in charge. She was this way even before her time in Cincinnati, when she was at the Saint Louis Zoo. Meanwhile, Tucker isn't afraid to let his woman shine.
Resident superstar Fiona is currently in her teenage phase, as Jenna puts it. You can almost tell by the way Fiona pulls up looking half-asleep. Jenna told us Fiona hasn't been interested in playing with Fritz and gets annoyed when Bibi lets her baby brother get away with trouble. Ah, the life of an older sister.
Then, there's Fritz. I developed a soft spot for the 19-month-old after I covered his first media appearance while interning for The Enquirer. Fritz snuggled up beside his mom and opened his tiny mouth for pieces of lettuce. Looking at Fritz, I couldn't help but squeeze my fists and clench my teeth in response to his cuteness.
Jenna told us he's an independent boy who spends a lot of time playing with his toys. (Yes, baby hippos have toys. My little heart!)
But the fun can only last so long. We all felt a pang of sadness when Jenna shared this family might not be together forever. Hippo Cove holds up to four hippos, so if one of the females gets pregnant and has a baby, then a current habitant will have to go. Fritz will likely be the one, Jenna said. (Brb, crying.) Fiona, though, isn't going anywhere.
We're lucky Cincinnati can boast such a special group at our famous zoo, even if it can't last forever. At least that's what I'll tell myself if I ever have to cry into tissues for hours on end over a baby hippo.
P.S. Yes, you too can do a behind-the-scenes experience with the zoo. But as journalists, we wanted to try it for ourselves, so we could be like "look at this cool thing we did!!!!" and then tell you all about it.
Perhaps we will meet a few more animals in the future and write about those experiences as well.
Check out our TikTok on the meet-and greet in the video below.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: We met Fiona the hippo up close. Here's what she is really like