The Berlin Zoo welcomes hippo-giant Bouli!

The Berlin Zoo welcomes hippo-giant Bouli!

An exciting time in the Berlin Zoo: The 12-year-old hippo bulle Bouli has moved into his new home and is already enthusiastic about the visitors. With his weight of 4.5 tons and his charming being, he quickly integrated into the Hippo Bay and enjoys the society of his animal colleagues Kathi, Nala and Nicole. Zoo director Andreas Knieriem not only sees a new star in Bouli, but also an important ambassador for species protection. Originally born in France, Bouli was sent to Berlin as part of the European Conservation Breeding Program (EEP) to couple with the 13-year-old Nala, who was chosen as a genetically suitable partner for him, such as bz-berlin.de reported.

Toni, the new star in the animal kingdom

At the same time, the zoo has to announce another exciting news: the mini flow horse Toni, born on June 3, celebrated its public debut. Her name was selected from over 20,000 suggestions and is a tribute to football star Antonio Rüdiger. Although she is hardly larger than a small dog, Toni delighted the visitors with her exploration tours in her enclosure, accompanied by her mother Debbie. Zoo director Knieriem said that the choice of the name Toni is not only due to Toni's great popularity on social media, but also the desire to find a memorable name that works beyond Berlin. Rüdiger himself has agreed to support the little hippo-lady as an honorary patron, such as Apnews.com reported.

The breeding of dwarf flow horses has a long tradition in the Berlin Zoo, which goes back to 1921. This species of animal is considered threatened, with less than 2,500 adult animals living in equatorial africa. The zoo is committed to the protection of these animals, which are strongly threatened by the loss of their habitat and the destruction of the West African forests.