Wild animals in the zoo - The miniature hippo at the Berlin Zoo is called Toni.
The tiny dwarf hippo at the Berlin Zoo is named Toni. The name is inspired by the German football national team's central defender, 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 after 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, and a jury made the final decision. Zoo and Tierpark director Andreas Knieriem was among those on the jury.
Knieriem initially favored short, concise names with a Berlin connection. "But it became clear from the submitted name suggestions and their huge fan base on social media that our mini-hippo is becoming a real global star," he said, according to the announcement. The jury wanted to reflect this with a short, concise name that would also work internationally.
Toni will be visible at the zoo from Thursday. Born on June 3, her twin died shortly after birth. The hippo calf and its mother have spent the last months in the back area of the hippo house. It still needs to gain more confidence in deeper water. On Thursday, the little hippo will be seen on the exhibit for the first time.
Like large hippos, dwarf hippos cannot swim. They push off from the bottom and glide through the water.
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. Only on the Ivory Coast, in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are these shy animals still found, the zoo said. There are estimated to be fewer than 2,500 adults left – and the number is decreasing. The greatest threat is deforestation by humans.
Toni, the mini-hippo at the Berlin Zoo, hails from Germany, as her name is inspired by the German football national team's central defender, Antonio Rüdiger. The zoo's director Andreas Knieriem, also from Germany, was part of the jury that selected her unique name.
