CINCINNATI — Fiona the Hippo is mating with her mother’s partner, Tucker, and the Cincinnati Zoo said that it’s not weird at all.
Cincinnati Zoo Spokesperson Michelle Curley told our news partners at WCPO-TV that “Fiona and Tucker are not related. It’s totally normal for hippos.”
WCPO-TV said Fiona’s biological father, Henry, died shortly after she was born in 2017.
Zoo officials said Tucker was introduced as a “huge, dark and handsome” man in 2021 and was deemed a compatible mate for Fiona’s mother, Bibi.
Bibi and Tucker mated and had Fritz in 2022.
Our news partners reported that it may seem weird to humans, but hippos have no concept of what a stepparent is and that this type of family mating is normal because they are considered wild animals, according to the zoo.
According to zoo officials, Cincinnati’s beloved hippo family will not get bigger any time soon because Fiona is on birth control.