NEWS · B1 Level - Part 2

Baby Pygmy Hippo Has Her First Swim

Go Poppy, go! It's this zoo baby's first swim.

Level: B1 · 15 sentences

Transcript

1. Go Poppy, go!
2. It's this zoo baby's first swim.
3. Poppy is a pygmy hippo calf who lives at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia.
4. She hasn't lived there long.
5. The little one was just born to Mom Iris and Dad Corwin on December 9th, 2024.
6. Her bubbly name was just announced by the zoo this week, chosen after it won a visitor poll.
7. It seems to suit her!
8. Poppy is part of a very exclusive club.
9. Native to West Africa, pygmy hippos are endangered.
10. It's believed that fewer than 2,500 of them live in the wild.
11. The most famous member of the species may be Mudang,
12. a calf who's become a social media sensation at a zoo in Thailand.
13. Time will tell if Poppy grows as popular.
14. For now, she's still working on the basics, like how to hippo.
15. To help her swim, the zoo lowered the water in her habitat and is gradually increasing it as she grows more comfortable.