John Ball Zoo’s adorable baby pygmy hippo has a name

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- John Ball Zoo’s adorable baby pygmy hippo has a name -- Hugo.

The zoo announced the name Friday, Oct. 3 in a Facebook post.

Hugo was born Sept. 3 , weighing 11 pounds, to his pygmy hippo parents Penelope and Jahari.

The zoo asked the public to help name the tyke and posted an online voting forum. The options were Hugo, Blitz, and Sapo.

Pygmy hippos are an endangered species with fewer than 2,500 estimated in Western Africa’s wild, so each birth is a vital step for conservation.

Pygmy hippos are at least five times smaller than a regular hippo, but still weigh between 400 and 600 pounds. They are about 4.5-6 feet long and 2.5-3 feet high at the shoulder.