FEW CREATURES ON this planet have ever come close to competing with Parks and Recreation character and beloved mini horse Li’l Sebastian. Until Fiona the hippo was born, that is.
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
On January 24th 2017, little Fiona was born 6 weeks prematurely and weighed only 29lbs (averages range from 55-120lbs, so she was really small). Today, she weighs 275lbs and after featuring in months of adorable tweets by Cincinnati Zoo, she has recently just made her public debut to the media.
Just look at her.
The world has fallen in love with this baby hippo. One Twitter user even described her feelings towards Fiona the hippo as a “girl crush”.
kar / Twitter
kar / Twitter / Twitter
For months, videos of the baby hippo have been receiving a great deal of attention.
She has so many fans that Listermann Brewing Company are releasing a New England-style IPA called Team Fiona, because “watching her grow up has been such a joy”. 25% of the proceeds will go towards the zoo care team.
She has been treated like a regular human celebrity by most American news outlets.
USA Today described her as a “media darling” who entered the room with an entourage and described her approaching the glass of the tank to look at her admirers as if to say “Be sure to get my good side!”
She’s causing a moral dilemma for people who find her incredibly cute but don’t believe in zoos.
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
Note how that user refers to themselves as ‘fionathehippo fanacc[ount]‘. The Fiona obsession is very real. Some people even want her to replace the eagle as the national bird of America.
Fiona is definitely too pure for that.
