Mini-hippo at the Berlin Zoo is called Toni
Early June saw the birth of a dwarf hippo baby at Berlin Zoo. For months, a suitable name was sought for the newcomer, and now it's official: the mini hippo is named Toni. The name is inspired by a DFB footballer. Toni Kroos is not the intended reference.
The little dwarf hippo at Berlin Zoo finally has a name: Toni. The name is inspired by the central defender of the German national football team, Antonio Rüdiger, the zoo announced. Rüdiger has taken on the honorary sponsorship of the mini hippo.
More than 20,000 suggestions from around the world were received following the zoo's call, including Hilde, Rosa, Else, and Daisy, as well as more creative ideas like Goldie, Schnuppe, Görli, or Boulettchen. The zoo chose five from these, and a jury made the final decision. Zoo and Tierpark director Andreas Knieriem was also part of the jury.
Initially, Knieriem preferred short, concise names with a Berlin reference. "But it quickly became apparent from the submitted name suggestions and their enormous fan base on social media that our mini hippo is becoming a real global star," he said in a statement. The jury wanted to reflect this development with a name that also works internationally.
Hippo girl to be seen at the zoo from Thursday
Toni was born on June 3rd, her twin died shortly after birth. The hippo girl and her mother have spent the last few months in the back area of the hippo house. She still needed to gain more confidence in deeper water. Unlike large hippos, dwarf hippos cannot swim. They push off from the bottom and move through the water in a gliding motion. The dwarf hippo baby will be visible on the premises for the first time on Thursday.
With several million views on TikTok, the animal has become an online star, with fans in the USA, Australia, and Mexico. The natural habitat of dwarf hippos is in the rainforests of West Africa. They can only be found in a few places on the Ivory Coast, in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the zoo reported. There are estimated to be fewer than 2,500 adult specimens left - and the trend is decreasing. The greatest threat is the deforestation of forests by humans.
The mini hippo at Berlin Zoo, named Toni, will be visible to the public for the first time on Thursday. Antonio Rüdiger, the central defender of the German national football team, has taken on the honorary sponsorship of Toni.
Toni's name was inspired by the global fanbase of the hippo, as her suggestions received over 20,000 submissions from around the world.
