Pygmy Hippo Name Announcement

The votes are in, and we are thrilled to announce the winning name for our little hippo… Introducing POPPY, the pygmy hippo!

We received more than 116,000 total votes from hippo fans in 165 countries. With 52.8% of the vote, Poppy has earned the majority to secure a victory. Poppy successfully captured the most hearts of everyone who participated in this exciting campaign.

Poppy is the perfect name for this playful, perky, and ever-increasing popular hippo. Her name is a flower just like her mother Iris.

Princess Poppy is the people’s choice. Poppy won the overall vote, the USA vote, the Virginia vote, and the in-person vote. The popular vote may have been close, but the victory was decisive.

We want to thank everyone for participating in this naming poll. It was purely for fun and intended to raise awareness for this endangered species by engaging our community in a friendly competition.

Hammie Mae fans, we see you. We feel your pain. We hope we can all come together and move forward as a nation.

What’s next for Poppy? She will continue learning how to be a pygmy hippo from mom. She has already started nibbling on some solid foods, and will only eat more and more each day. Poppy is going to grow so quickly.

Iris and Poppy are on habitat at the zoo and can be seen by visitors in the indoor pool area. When the weather is warmer and Poppy is a little bigger, they will move to the outdoor habitat, which has a large pool with underwater viewing windows.

This is just the beginning for Poppy. Stay tuned for other exciting announcements. We’ve still got some surprises up our sleeves.