November 28 is a memorable day in the history of Mykolaiv Zoo. It was on this day 42 years ago that the hippopotamus (Latin Hippopotamus amphíbius) first appeared in our collection. In 1978, at the age of eleven months, a hippopotamus named Kazimir came to our zoo from the Kharkiv Zoo. He was a small, fat "piglet" with pink heels. His parents are male Cindy and female Krasavka. At first, when Casimir came to our zoo, he was very scared. But over time, thanks to the attention and love of the zoo staff, he began to adapt to living conditions, to respond to the commands of people who cared for him.
Little Casimir's favorite food was semolina and apples. Porridge was poured into a "bowl" the size of a large basin.
Hippopotamus Casimir from childhood is accustomed to the kind and caring attitude of our employees, so he is very obedient and contact. Even on command, he is able to open his mouth wide and he can easily be given medication if necessary.
Initially, Casimir was kept alone, and at this time the hippopotamus Stella (who was born on April 26, 1977 in Riga Zoo) was kept in the zoo in Lipetsk. When she grew up to 9 years, on September 28, 1986 she was brought to Mykolaiv Zoo. Stella and Casimir became friends, and soon, eight months later, on May 22, 1987, their couple gave birth to their first youngster. During the history of the couple Casimir and Stella 6 cubs were born. They grew up and moved to zoos around the world. Casimir and Stella lived together for 22 years…
In September 2009, a young female Ricky was brought from the Ramat-Gan Zoo in Israel for Casimir. She first met Casimir through a fence. She stood nearby for hours, closer to Casimir. Hippos were brought to a joint enclosure in the autumn of 2012. Since then, Casimir and Ricky have lived together.
To date, our hippopotamus Casimir is 42 years old. He bears the title of long-lived animal of Mykolaiv Zoo. And yet, Casimir is a favorite animal of many visitors, who come to visit specially him.
So, come and visit Mykolaiv Zoo to get acquainted with our hippos - Casimir and Ricky…