Fiona the Rescued Baby Hippo Becomes More Confident in the Deeper End of the Pool

Fiona the absolutely adorable growing baby hippo, performed a few tricks as she became more confident in the deeper end of the indoor pool at the Cincinnati Zoo, accompanied by her beloved caretaker Jen.

She porpoises, pushing off the bottom like a torpedo, up and down across the length of both pools and attempts water acrobatics. She has also figured out that she can keep her nostrils above water if she stands on her back legs, so you can see her walking upright at times. The water is about 4 ft deep now. Ultimately, she’ll navigate 7-ft-deep water in the indoor pools before trying the outdoor pool, which is 8-9 ft deep.

A few days later, Jen swam around in a full SCUBA suit in order to help Fiona get used to the sight in a controlled area. At first, the little hippo didn’t recognize her human friend, but once Jen removed the mask, all was good again.