Kolkata: Unable to move, ailing hippo stuck in zoo pool for 2 weeks; vets hopeful of recovery
Times of India | 8 January 2026
KOLKATA: A hippopotamus at the Alipore zoo, unable to move probably because of a neurological disease or a leg injury, has stayed put in a pool of water in its enclosure for the past fortnight and refused to leave even in the evening for its night shelter, a sharp departure from its normal routine.
The zoo authorities have set up a five-member medical team which is monitoring the three-and-a-half-year-old resident — named Hippo One — 24X7 and are in touch with other zoos to decide on the course of treatment.
For now, the hippo enclosure, next to the Lion’s Den, has been cordoned off with ‘viewcutters’ to keep the animal out of public gaze.
Zoo officials said there were some signs of improvement in the condition of the male hippo, which was brought from Odisha’s Nandankanan Zoological Park in Sept 2024, and are hopeful that it will recover. The animal has slowly started eating its normal diet — a mix of sweet potato, carrot, green grass, banana and sugarcane top.
“It is slowly responding to treatment, but we are yet to arrive at a definitive diagnosis,” zoo director Tripti Sah said. “At this stage, we cannot say with certainty what it is suffering from — a neurological ailment or a leg injury. Three doctors from the zoo and two from a veterinary hospital in Belgachhia are treating the animal. The team is continuously monitoring its condition.”
‘We are hopeful about recovery’
Zoo director Tripti Sah said they are consulting veterinarians from across the country. “It appears to be a rare condition that we have not encountered before. None of the other zoos, that we consulted, reported a similar case. However, we are hopeful about recovery,” she said.
Officials have decided against forcibly moving the hippo, which weighs close to two tonnes, out of the water to prevent worsening of its condition. The young male was brought to Alipore with a female companion from Nandankanan. The female died within days of arrival. The cause of its death is unknown.
The zoo now houses another hippopotamus — a 22-year-old female — in an adjacent enclosure. Sources said that following the female’s death, Hippo One had become less active and showed signs of depression and loss of appetite. By the second half of 2025, it gradually regained mobility and resumed eating normally. So, caretakers grew alarmed when they noticed a sudden change in its behaviour shortly before Christmas.
Suspecting a leg injury, the authorities planned to reduce water in the pool for a closer inspection of the animal. However, as the water level fell, the animal’s condition worsened, prompting officials to immediately refill the pool.
The situation has revived memories of a tragic incident at the zoo in Aug 2024, when a 35-year-old hippo died during a dental procedure. The animal had overgrown canines, which caused deep facial wounds that were suspected to be turning malignant.