AssetID: 54477808
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Fiona The Hippo Celebrates 8th Birthday
Caption: Fiona, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s famous hippo celebrated her eight birthday on 24 January 2025. With an impressive five million followers on Facebook, Fiona, has won hearts around the world with her remarkable survival story. She was born six weeks premature on January 24, 2017, with a birth weight of 29 pounds (13 kg) - well under the average for her species. She was initially unable to stand and required bottle feeding with milk from her mother, supplemented with infant formula. “We shared updates on Fiona every day during the first year of her life, and people couldn’t get enough,” said Amy LaBarbara, the zoo’s marketing manager. “At one point, we even tried to stop, but there was so much pushback that we kept up with the daily posts. We don’t post every day anymore, but updates about Fiona and her little brother, Fritz, consistently attract millions of views and likes from a global audience.” The zoo reaches nearly nine million people across its social media platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Its Instagram account has been voted the best in Cincinnati for several years in a row, thanks to engaging and heartwarming content featuring Fiona and other zoo residents. “In addition to sharing cute and fun animal content, we use our platforms to inspire people to care about wildlife and conservation,” added LaBarbara. “We highlight the work of our conservation partners who are protecting hippos, elephants, lions, birds, and other species in the wild.” Happy birthday Fiona, you’ve come a long way!
Keywords: cincinnati,feature,video,hippo,fiona,animals,nature,natural world
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