Harry the baby pygmy hippo who’s videos and pictures went viral on the internet in March 2012 has unfortunately passed away. A little bit of info on the pygmy hippos:
The pygmy hippos were introduced to zoos in the early 20th century, and they do bred very well in captivity. The survival of this species in captivity is more assured than in the wild. The World Conservation Union estimates there may be fewer than 3.000 pygmy hippos remaining in the wild. The main reason for this is loss of habitat, and poaching.
They are native to Western Africa, also very small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Ivory Coast. An adult pygmy hippo stands about 75 to 83 cm or 30 to 32 inches high, they are 150 to 177 cm or 59 to 70 inches in length, and they only weigh 180 to 275 kilograms or 400 to 600 pounds. Their lifespan in captivity ranges from 35 to 55 years, lifespan in the wild is unknown but it is thought they do live as long.
If you would like to know more about the Pygmy Hippo, Wikipedia have an excellent article.
Strong bond: Final picture of Harry with devoted carer Toni Inggs who was like a mother to the little hippo (photo via mail online link below)
Harry the baby pygmy hippo who is featured in both videos below, unfortunately has died. He had to have an operation for a hernia, and after the operation he went into heart failure and passed away. Very sad news. I hope you will still enjoy the videos, he was so very cute. You can read about Harrys passing in Mail Online. There are some beautiful photos in the article, they are large photos, so it does take a bit to load if you have a slow connection.
Both videos below are of Harry the pygmy hippo, and he was born on the 22nd of March 2012. Passed away in May 2012
Magsx2's Blog 
How sad! He’s so very cute. Poor little guy.
Hi raisingdaisy,
Very sad indeed, such a shame, he was gorgeous.
Thank you for sharing. Hearing about the poaching that threatens these animals breaks my heart.
Hi The Scrumptious Pumpkin,
It seems very hard to stop the poachers, in some areas apparently these pygmy hippos are killed for food.
Hippos is more dangerous then both Tigers and Lions .. it’s one of the most dangerous animals in the world. He so cute and I’m glad that they really try to save his life … wonderful.
Forgotten to say .. that I was thinking of the normal size Hippos.
I missed that he had died … how sad, but they did what they could do for him.
Hi viveka,
Yes they did do everything they could do, but unfortunately it just wasn’t meant to be, they are so cute these little pygmy hippos, just amazing how tiny they are.
Yes, sad – but nature’s cruel worlds sometimes … he was adorable and doing so fine in the beginning. Never seen a pygmy hippos before.
Unfortunately there are only a few places that have a breeding program going, but still they are doing well with the programs, I haven’t been lucky enough either to see one of these for real, I have only seen them on the net.
So sad. I didn’t know about pygmy hippos…this little guy was a cutey!
Hi Bliss,
They are just so tiny, amazing little animals.
Thank you for sharing this.They are just so tiny, amazing little animals.
Hi Stefan,
They are very tiny, it is hard to imagine how they survive at all in the wild.
What a sweet little guy. So sad that he didn’t make it. 😦
Hi adinparadise,
I was just so surprised to learn about his passing, he seemed to be doing so well, very sad indeed.
That is so sad!!! He was a real joy for everyone!
Hi Wendell,
When Harry went viral on the net back in March it was just incredible the amount of love and warm wishes that was sent his way from people all over the world, I was really taken aback when I read about his passing, he was just so beautiful and so very cute.
That’s so sad – bless his little heart.
Hi Laurie,
I think a lot of people will be shocked to learn he didn’t make it, but with all the videos and photo of Harry everywhere he will not be forgotten.
Once again you deliver the cuteness. Always so sad to lose anyone. 😦
Hi lolabees,
It was a bit of a shock to learn Harry didn’t make it, but he was so very cute.
He definitely was a cute little fella, R.I.P. Harry :-).
Hi Windsmoke,
He was gorgeous, and seemed to be enjoying all the attention, it is a shame.
Heartbreaking … not only because he was so CUTE! Beautiful post, Mags … never heard about pygmy hippos before.
Hi reb,
They are gorgeous little animals aren’t they, unlike there big cousins, they are very friendly animals, and yes very cute.
RIP, Harry. Thanks Mags.
Hi Elyse,
He was a little cutie, it is sad.
News like is always sad, but still good to know.
Hi Frank,
I remember back in March deciding not to do a post on Harry he just seemed to be everywhere, this beautiful little animal just went viral, and a lot of people just loved him, it is very sad to know that he did not make it.
Oh, my goodness……my fifth grade class just put on a play about a hippo who was murdered in his zoo! Based on the book “Belly Up” by Stuart Gibbs. Who knew that there would be such a public display of sadness over a REAL hippo!?
Hi momshieb,
That is a coincidence with the play. Harry went viral on the net when he was born back in March, so people basically all over the world fell in love with beautiful little animal, it is sad that he didn’t live very long at all.
So cute! So sorry for his passing.
Hi Naomi,
He was definitely cute, so tiny.
I almost couldn’t read this I am so sad about it. Awww. It’s such a shame. Poor little guy. He was adorable 😥
Hi Selma,
He certainly was adorable, he also introduced the world to pygmy hippos I think when he became famous.
I was so shocked to read this Mags, because little Harry seemed to be doing really well. This is so sad. He had such a short life. His carer must be devastated after spending so much time feeding and taking care of him.
I hope the breeding programs for these little fellas are successful.
RIP little Harry.
Hi barb19,
I think it will be a shock to a lot of people as word starts to spread, he just seemed so happy and of course well looked after in the photos and videos, it just wasn’t meant to be for this little hippo. The breeding programs I believe are going very well, so I am sure these beautiful pygmy hippos will be around for future generations.
Mags, these hippos are about the cutest things imaginable! It’s amazing that they even exist. I’m sorry the little guy died though. How terribly sad especially for the people who took care of him every day.
Hi Linda,
Wouldn’t you just love one as a pet, they are adorable.
Yes the lady that was with Harry 24/7 since he’s mother was not able to feed him would of been devastated, very sad indeed.
Oh, but since they can live to be 55 you’d have to get one when you were young! I bet they get so smart living such a long time. I love them. Wouldn’t it be fun to sleep with a baby hippo every nite. (OK there’s a joke in there somewhere — Ha ha!
I should imagine they would get smart, they would get to know your routine that is for sure. 😀
Sleepy with one, you may need plastic sheets for that, seeing as how they need to have a lot of water on their skin. I’m sure you good do a good joke on that one. 😀
Ha! Well you’d definitely need to have a waterbed! 😀
Good one. 😆
That is a great loss. How tragic especially when there are so few left in the wild. I touched a pygmy hippo once. It was a newborn at Taronga Zoo. They are very sticky and slimy to touch but oh so cute xx
Hi hotlyspiced,
You are so lucky to have touched one, I haven’t seen one in the real world, yes I imagine they would be a bit slimy, they have to keep the skin wet most of the time, but they are very cute.
Hi Mags! Oh no 😦 this was such sad news..poor little guy. I remember seeing him walking around and exploring the world. He was a sweet and kind little hippo! May he rest in peace.
Hi Any Lucky Penny,
He was beautiful, it would of been great to watch him grow up, so very sad.
He is just an angel came for a short period to teach us love.
Hi Indira,
That is a beautiful comment, and he sure did do that.
I agree with Indira – he was an angel. So very, very sad.
Hi loonyliterature,
He certainly was, it is very sad and a bit of a shock, I actually went looking for an update on Harry and this is what I found, I certainly wasn’t expecting this news.
Hello Magsx2, that’s an awful way to find out. I don’t think we always realise just how fragile these beautiful animals can be.
I agree, they would be very fragile being so small.
I can’t believe how long their life span is in captivity!! Wow. They certainly are cute and so sturdy looking. It’s always sad when a beloved animal dies. Guess he’s in a happy hippo place now, right? : )
Hi AgrippingLife,
It is a long life for such a tiny animal, of course they have no enemies in captivity, with there small size it would be hard to guess how long they live for in the wild, oh yes he would be in happy hippo land no doubt about it. 🙂
I’d never heard of pygmy hippos, Mags. Harry was so cute, and I’m saddened to learn that he has passed away. It sounds like he was receiving such good care, lots of love and attention. Thank you for sharing the sweet story of his life, and the pictures.
Hi Melissa,
They are beautiful the little pygmy hippos aren’t they, so very tiny. It certainly is sad that Harry did not make it.
That saddens me. For the short duration of his life, he gave joy to a lot of people. He will always be remembered. Thanks for sharing this…
Hi island traveler,
He certainly did bring a lot of joy, it is very sad.
Interesting article. I hear that, in the wild, they can be really mean if provoked!
By the way, I nominated you for an award. Drop by my post to get the details.
Scott
Hi Scott,
It’s the standard size hippos that do get very mean, Harry was a pygmy hippo, and they are friendly.
Thank you very much for the award. 🙂
You are welcome. The award is well-deserved.
His carer must be so upset at loosing the little guy. I know that zoos do expect baby animals to sometimes die, but it must still hurt the people who’ve been their substitute mum. How very sad.
Hi mariathermann,
Yes she was with him 24/7 has for some reason Harry’s mum could no longer feed him, so the carer took over, it would of been devastating for her.
I remember seeing a program on the little polar bear in Germany, the one that became famous and died last year (cannot remember the zoo, might have been Wupperthal or Berlin). The keeper even slept with the little polar bear, fed him, swam with him…heartbreaking stuff for the keepers.
Hi mariathermann,
I do remember the little polar bear in a way, he also went viral, what a shame he passed on. Yes I agree, the keeper for Harry also was with him 24/7, there definitely would of been a very strong bond between them.
Such a sad story 😦 What a cute little guy.
Hi Oster’s Mom,
He was very cute.
How sad 😦 He really was adorable.
Hi Madhu,
He really was, and so very cute.
I’ve never seen pigmy hippos. I know regular hippos – have seen them in the wild and they are very fierce and strong and dangerous. It’s interesting to think of a hippo getting a hernia.
Hi dearrosie,
They are gorgeous little animals aren’t they, these little guys are very friendly, their nature is a lot different than the big hippos.
Such a cute little fella! So sad to see he didn’t get to live very long.
Hi Michael,
It is sad, but Harry did introduce to the world his species, I think most people now know about the pygmy hippos. 🙂