The Aporia · Maple the baby pygmy hippo loves belly rubs and sleeping. Why she’s a 'massive victory' for the Toronto Zoo

Grant Furniss, director of wildlife operations at the Toronto Zoo, describes Maple, Canada’s only baby pygmy hippo, as incredibly cute despite not usually using such terms. Born six weeks ago to mom Kindia and dad Harvey—the only adult pygmy hippos in Canada—Maple weighs about 20 kilograms now but will grow to around 60 kilograms within months. The birth is celebrated as a conservation victory given the endangered status of pygmy hippos, with fewer than 3,000 left in the wild due to habitat loss and poaching. Maple’s arrival marks a shift for the Toronto Zoo from being an animal display facility to a more purposeful conservation organization focused on educating about wildlife preservation.

Written by AI on 2026-09-14, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

Story summary

Maple, a six-week-old pygmy hippo, has become an instant hit at the Toronto Zoo. Born on November 6, Maple is Canada's only baby pygmy hippo and part of an endangered species native to Liberia. According to Ali Vella-Irving, one of her keepers, Maple quickly learned how to stand up within 15 minutes of birth and started nursing just a few hours later. Despite being only about 20 kilograms now, she is expected to grow to nearly 60 kilograms in a few months. Zoo director Grant Furniss describes Maple as "90 per cent sassiness" and notes her ability to turn every action into something cute, like nudging her mother until she lies down for cuddles the way Maple wants. The zoo plans to introduce Maple to visitors starting Tuesday at the African Rainforest Pavilion, subject to her health needs and bonding time with her mom Kindia.

Written for “Pygmy Hippo At Toronto Zoo” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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Mahdis Habibinia

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🔮 Furniss related how one time when her mom wasn’t lying exactly how Maple wanted her to be for a snuggle, “She very nonchalantly just nudged mom until … she could get into the position that she really wanted to be in.”

2026-09-14 · assertive framing · Maple the baby pygmy hippo loves belly rubs and sleeping. Why she’s a 'massive victory' for the Toronto Zoo

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The tiny tanklike hippo has been a success story in other ways, including standing up within 15 minutes of being born, nursing within a few hours and quickly learning how to move around with guidance from Kindia, explained Ali Vella-Irving, one of Maple’s keepers who’s been with her since the day she was born.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-14

2026-09-14 · Toronto Star

Maple the baby pygmy hippo loves belly rubs and sleeping. Why she’s a 'massive victory' for the Toronto Zoo · assertive framing

Grant Furniss has worked with zoos for more than three decades, but he said he ‘s never used the word “cute” to describe anything. asserted

he → work → anything

That is, until Canada’s only baby pygmy hippo — an endangered species — was born at the Toronto Zoo: a six-week-old girl named Maple, which the public can start visiting Tuesday in the African Rainforest Pavilion (subject to her needs and bonding time with mom). asserted

public → bear → mom

“She’s 90 per cent sassiness and 10 per cent hippo at this stage,” said Furniss, the zoo’s director of wildlife operations. asserted

Furniss → ’ → operations

“Every little thing that she does she manages to turn into something cute. asserted

she → do → something

And I’m not a person that says ‘cute’ but I have to in this instance.” asserted

I → ’m → instance

Furniss related how one time when her mom wasn’t lying exactly how Maple wanted her to be for a snuggle, “She very nonchalantly just nudged mom until … she could get into the position that she really wanted to be in.” uncertain

she → relate → that

Furniss said at one point they floated the name “Poutine” for the rollie-pollie log, who is now roughly 20 kilograms but is expected to grow to 60 kilograms in just a few months before reaching her mom’s size of just under 250 kilograms by her second birthday. asserted

who → say → birthday

Maple was born to mom Kindia, 20, and dad Harvey, 31 — also Canada’s only adult pygmy hippos — which zoo workers describe as a major milestone given how rare the hippos are in the world and how challenging calf survival can be. asserted

survival → bear → world

They are “an endangered animal that sadly is trending towards being even more critically endangered at this stage,” Furniss said. asserted

Furniss → trend → stage

Why pygmy hippos are disappearing Pygmy hippos come from West Africa, predominantly Liberia but through Ghana as well. asserted

hippos → disappear → Ghana

They live in densely forested areas. asserted

They → live → areas

The Toronto Zoo said it has shifted from a traditional animal-display facility into a more purposeful conservation organization in recent years. asserted

it → say → years

For example, Maple will be an “ambassador to connect people to West Africa” and “all the different things that are happening in those countries so that people can understand the plight of the animal and why we have to have some of them under human care,” Furniss said. asserted

Furniss → connect → care

“To get rid of that stigma of we keep animals in zoos just to breed with them — we don’t.” asserted

we → rid → them

The first was lost during birth because she wasn’t yet an experienced mom, Furniss said. asserted

Furniss → lose → birth

Penelope, her second calf born in 2018, has since moved to the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Mich. as part of the species’ survival program. asserted

Penelope → bear → program

Maple shows early successes asserted

Maple → show → successes

she → include → day

“She’s got lots of personality. asserted

She → get → personality

She’s very spunky, energetic,” Vella-Irving said, adding Maple also loves belly rubs from her keepers. asserted

Maple → ’ → keepers

“She likes to sleep, then when she has her burst of energy, she’s zipping around. asserted

she → like → energy

“She gets zoomies just like pets.” asserted

She → get → pets

Maple the baby pygmy hippo loves belly rubs and sleeping. Why she’s a 'massive victory' for the Toronto Zoo

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