Toronto Zoo - Pygmy Hippo Exhibit

July 2008.

i think theese are the ones that desperately need an outdoor habitat as well.They have a great pool and its great viewing but there habitat is small unless they have access to the red river hog habitat and there main one at the same time plus holding

One thing I know about Pygmy Hippos is that if you let them choose between an outdoor and an indoor exhibit, they almost always will choose the indoor. The keepers in Cleveland told me this. In Cleveland they had a Pygmy Hippo who only went outside from 9AM-11AM. She could not stand to be outside, and all she would do when she went outside was bang on the door. An outdoor exhibit really is not necessary for Pygmy Hippos.

The above is true , they dont seem to like being outside unless its a very nice day

While this statement might be true to the hippos it's referring to, it certainly isn't true for pygmy hippos in general. An intelligent mammal benefits from a stimulating environment and access outside is usually stimulating if the enclosure fits the needs of the animal.

The pygmy hippos I know have free access to their outside-and inside enclosures and they make good use of both, even in very bad and cold weather.

Of course you can make life good for a pygmy hippo with only an inside enclosure, like you can for any animal, but saying that they don't need access outside is taking it to far, if you ask me.