Tam, an adorable pygmy hippopotamus, lives in a Japanese aquarium. NIFREL is the name of the aquarium, and it is located in Osaka. They care for many animals, including the pygmy hippos, which are an endangered species.
There are only around 2000 pygmy hippos left in the world. Tam was born in the middle of the night. He weighed 6.4 kg and got to 100 kilograms in over a year.
Tam loves to be in the water. At one-month-old, he would close his eyes and relax as someone gave him a gentle bath. They would rub his back and scratch his nose.
When Tam joined his mother at the pool for the first time, he was amazed. He was so small his entire body was submerged in the water as he walked on the bottom of the pool.
He had to swim up to stick his head out of the water so he could breathe. While they are in the pool, his mother lays on her side, and he drinks milk from her underwater.
It is rare to see a mother feed her baby in the pool, and everyone is happy to see it. Tam takes after his father, who is also very laid back.
Opening his mouth wide, Tam shows that his teeth are growing at three months old. Soon he’ll be big enough to walk in the pool with his head above the water.
