Say hello to the Metro Richmond Zoo’s newest additions: two super-cute pygmy hippos, Corwin and Iris.
Corwin is a 2-year-old male and Iris is an 11-year-old female.
Pygmy hippos are a rare species native to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Ivory Coast. They are highly endangered, with only 3,000 remaining in the wild.
The new exhibit at the Chesterfield County zoo features an underwater area and a land area. The underwater area is enclosed in glass, and viewers can watch the hippos face to face. The new exhibit is the zoo’s most expensive to date and has been under construction since 2016.