{"id":301539,"date":"2025-11-23T10:49:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T10:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/301539\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T10:49:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T10:49:23","slug":"worlds-oldest-pygmy-hippo-throws-birthday-bash-with-delightful-twist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/301539\/","title":{"rendered":"World\u2019s Oldest Pygmy Hippo Throws Birthday Bash\u00a0With\u00a0Delightful Twist\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hannah Shirley\u2014the world\u2019s oldest living pygmy hippopotamus in managed care\u2014has celebrated her 52nd\u00a0birthday<\/a> in style this with week with a very appropriately themed\u00a0party.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Born on November 22, 1973, Hannah Shirley is now twice as old as most members of her species, having well outlived the typical 25\u201330 year lifespan of pygmy hippos in the wild.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To celebrate\u00a0the hippo<\/a>\u2019s special day, the San Diego Humane Society<\/a>\u2019s Ramona Wildlife<\/a>\u00a0Center\u00a0threw\u00a0her a \u201cHungry\u00a0Hungry\u00a0Hippos\u201d themed party, complete with floating fruit treats and\u00a0colorful decorations<\/a>\u00a0inspired by the beloved children\u2019s game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nina Thompson\u2014Public Relations Director at the San Diego Humane Society\u2014told Newsweek that Hannah Shirley’s party was held a early, during the week, so as many people could take part. “Everyone on our team loves Hannah!” she explained.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hannah was rescued by San Diego Humane Society\u2019s Project Wildlife team in 2002 after being found in a captivity in a private backyard in\u00a0Escondido, and\u00a0has\u00a0remained\u00a0in their care ever since.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

She now thrives in a 13,000-square-foot habitat complete with a pond and pool,\u00a0where she spends her days relaxing in the water, receiving\u00a0spa-like back rubs\u00a0and lots of\u00a0sprinkler showers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her meals are also carefully tailored to support her age and her caregivers\u00a0monitor\u00a0her health closely, ensuring she enjoys a long, comfortable life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone who meets Hannah falls in love with her,\u201d said Angela Hernandez-Cusick, Wildlife Rehabilitation Supervisor at San Diego Humane Society, in a statement. \u201cShe embodies the joy and connection that make caring for wildlife so rewarding.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pygmy hippos, native to the forests and swamps of\u00a0West Africa, are a vulnerable species with fewer than 2,500 individuals\u00a0remaining\u00a0in the wild.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

While pygmy hippos have full legal protection in the countries where they live,\u00a0greater conservation action is needed to safeguard their future.\u00a0Their natural\u00a0environment\u00a0is being polluted\u00a0and burned down, and people still hunt them for their meat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The mammals\u00a0were not\u00a0known\u00a0to\u00a0Western science until 1840, and still to this day little is known about how they live in their native habitat.\u00a0Only a few\u00a0dozens\u00a0Pygmy hippos\u00a0reside\u00a0in managed care\u00a0across\u00a0North America.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hannah Shirley is not only a beloved ambassador for her vulnerable species, but also\u00a0a symbol of the extraordinary impact of compassionate, expert care.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Do you have a tip on a wildlife story that\u00a0Newsweek\u00a0should be covering? Do you have a question about\u00a0pygmy hippos? Let us know via\u00a0science@newsweek.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hannah Shirley\u2014the world\u2019s oldest living pygmy hippopotamus in managed care\u2014has celebrated her 52nd\u00a0birthday in style this with week…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301540,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[2837,77294,96425,49,48,135402,131280,135403,135401,21208,66,323],"class_list":{"0":"post-301539","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-animals","9":"tag-birthday","10":"tag-birthday-party","11":"tag-ca","12":"tag-canada","13":"tag-hippo","14":"tag-hippopotamus","15":"tag-humane-society","16":"tag-pygmy-hippo","17":"tag-rescue","18":"tag-science","19":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/301540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}