Fiona the Hippo Debuts at Cincinnati Zoo

Fiona the hippo made her debut in Cincinnati on Thursday and seemed to take pure pleasure in wowing her spectators. Her audience was restricted to the media, but that didn’t seem to stop her from putting on a show. The 4-month-old hippo swam, ran, and hopped her way into the hearts of those who were there to show her off to the world. The zoo staff kept in step as she got acclimated to a 9-foot pool in the hippo cove. Fiona was born six weeks premature in January and severely underweight at only 29 pounds. She’s now a whopping 270-plus pounds and can hold her breath underwater for up to two full minutes. Zoo officials say she’s gaining weight and strength, but she’s not quite ready to make a public appearance. Caretakers are hoping she can be on exhibit sometime this summer.