Community Corner

Photo Gallery: Lowry Park Zoo Introduces Baby Elephant, Hippo

Last week, the zoo held a baby shower in honor of the newborn females.

A mob of folks in pink shirts rushed the gates of Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo last week to get a glimpse of a newborn African elephant and pygmy hippopotamus.

The nonprofit facility was offering a half-off deal for animal lovers sporting pink as the day was declared the official baby shower for the zoo's newborn additions.

Zsa Zsa, the mother hippo, kept a watchful eye on her little girl, Zola but the duo stayed submerged in water for most of the morning, only coming up for air once in a while.

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Just a hop, skip and a jump away at the elephant exhibit, Mbali and her calf, yet to be named, roamed happily throughout the area.

Zola was born on Nov. 13, while the unnamed baby elephant was considered an early Christmas gift, arriving on Dec. 23.

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Zookeepers were on hand Saturday to answer questions about the newbies while masses of zoo-goers attempted to snap photos of the infants.

Lowry Park Zoo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and has multiple Species Survival Plan projects, which include threatened and  endangered species species and species of special concern. The zoo is also accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums

For more information and ticketing, visit Lowry Park online.


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