Imagine having an animal as your teacher. How much do you think one could learn from a hippopotamus, for example?

At the Cincinnati Zoo, a baby hippo named Fiona is helping to educate young people, both in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio and across the United States. Fiona was born at the Cincinnati Zoo in January 2017. She arrived nearly two months early, before her body was strong. That meant her body was smaller than that of other baby hippos. Her birth weight was so low that Fiona’s caregivers feared she might not survive.

But thanks to special treatments and assistance from hospital workers, Fiona stayed healthy. Her story gained national attention because of stories on traditional and social media.

The young hippo is now a symbol for the Cincinnati Zoo. The zoo has used her name and image to sell a great deal of merchandise, including clothing and toys. She is also the star of at least six books and she is a very popular subject for library and classroom activities.

The latest book is called “Saving Fiona,” which the zoo’s director wrote. “She has taught us a lot,” director Thane Maynard told the Associated Press.

Aliqismet BADALOV,
“Khalq qazeti”