Baby Hippo's New Home At Zoo Miami

MIAMI (CBS4) - Tipping the scales at just about twelve pounds, Baby Asali was just about the size of a football when Zoo Miami showed her off last November. On Tuesday she made her first public appearance, alongside her overprotective mother Kelsey.

"Now she's close to 44 pounds so she's growing very rapidly and she'll eventually get to her mom's weight which is close to 600 pounds," said Ron Magill, Communications Director for Zoo Miami.

Click Here To Check Out Baby Asali

Asali, which means "honey" in Swahili, is the first pygmy hippo born at Zoo Miami in 20 years. Magill said pygmy hippos can sometimes be like people and not like each other during courtship and mating.

"That was the case with our last pair. They didn't want anything to do with each other, hence no babies. We brought in this new male, Pogo," said Magill. "Pogo's got it going, hence Asali."

Considerably smaller than river hippos, Magill said pygmy hippos tend to be more solitary.

"Pigmy hippos also tend to be more terrestrial; they come out to land a lot more than river hippos. And if you look at them, anatomically, their eyes tend to be more to the side of their head, their nostrils down lower," said Magill.

Known for being a bit moody, Magill said Kelsey has taken very well to motherhood.

"Many times first time mothers are confused (and) not necessarily the best mothers. We've had occasions where babies have been rejected or even killed by their mothers, so Kelsey has been extremely protective, a wonderful mother," said Nancy Laning who's observed Kelsey over the last several months. "She's sweet to her and I didn't know there was a sweet side to Kelsey."

Now that baby Asali is officially in her exhibit space, zoo keepers say the best time to catch a glimpse of her is the first thing in the morning when she makes her way from the barn to the pool area.