Obi the baby pygmy hippo braves the big pool

Name: Obi the baby pygmy hippo braves the big pool
Uploaded: 2015-06-18T02:05:03Z
Duration: 1 min 20 s
Description: Obi, a baby pygmy hippo at Melbourne Zoo, has only ever swum in a training pool. Now it's time for the big one.

Obi, a baby pygmy hippo at Melbourne Zoo, has only ever swum in a training pool. Now it's time for the big one. more

He is the newest member of the zoo, and the main pool is another matter. At the edge he looks a little unsure, the way anyone does before a first swim.

Then he jumps. The splash is a big one for a hippo his size, and for a second there is nothing but ripples. When his head comes back up he just floats there a while, eyes forward, taking the place in.

A baby pygmy hippo floats in shallow water with his head above the surface, looking straight ahead with dark eyes. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third. — Obi surfaces after his first jump and floats still, taking in the new pool.

What people remember are the ears. Every time he surfaces, the two tiny ears give a quick flick to shake off the water, and his round eyes pop like a plush toy's. People who have seen it more than once admit they are waiting for the next flick.

Turtle moving in a natural water body, surrounded by rippling water with daytime lighting. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third. — Obi, a baby pygmy hippo at Melbourne Zoo, has only ever swum in a training pool.

His mother is in the pool with him, and he keeps close to her while he works out what his feet are for. He's determined about it, in the way of very small animals with very big plans.

It doesn't take him long. By the time he pops up again he is paddling like he has done it all his life, which is to say a few weeks, and he's swimming with the big boys.