Madagascar's Gloria To The Rescue

The staff at Heythrip Zoological Gardens in Oxfordshire had a slight problem. Chico, their resident pygmy hippo was refusing to eat, and his nicely rounded figure was starting to look - well a little less rounded and that was not good!

They tried to coax him by offering him yummy treats and taking him to different settings for his meals, but nothing worked!

Then one day, when chief Zoo Keeper, Michael Howes was shopping at his local market, he received a hand puppet of Madagascar's svelte Hippo, Gloria and he had an idea.

The following day, with Gloria's pretty face wrapped around his hand, he gave Chico some food - It was love at first sight!

Chico happily ate his meal from Gloria's loving hands. Now all the Zoo attendants slip on the hand puppet before feeding Chico, who has no problems chowing down.

Pygmy hippos are part of the hippopotamus family and are closely related to pigs. With only a few thousand of them left in the wild, and about 200 in captivity, they are a greatly endangered species. In the wild, these herbivorous animals are found only on the Western Coast of Africa, with the largest population found in Liberia.

Due to their shyness and nocturnal way of life, very little is known about their lifestyle in the wild. Though they live and breed well in captivity, they are not very friendly animals and can be dangerous if agitated.

Enjoy the video below of the baby pygmy that recently became the newest member of the Sydney Zoo.

Sources: DailyMail.co.uk, BBC.com, nationalzoo.si.edu