Hannah Shirley gained the title of world\u2019s oldest living pygmy hippo on May 25, surpassing the previous record of 51 years, 6 months, and 2 days. That\u2019s no mean feat in comparison to her wild relatives, who typically live to around 25 to 30 years old.<\/p>\n
Not every part of the pygmy hippo\u2019s 52-year-long life has been fun and games, however, having been rescued from a private backyard in California back in 2002. Speaking to NPR<\/a> earlier this year, Andy Blue, who in 2002 was the animal care manager at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, recalled finding Hannah Shirley.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a colleague who operated a facility in Ramona called the Fund for Animals, and he called me and just said, hey, we had a report of a hippo in someone’s backyard,\u201d Blue said. \u201cSure enough, I peeked over the fence and there was this little pygmy hippo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, you know, she was very calm. She was friendly and tractable and came up for carrots or treats. And unfortunately, to have – keep an animal like that in city limits is not legal, so she was seized by California Department of Fish and Wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n Hannah Shirley taking a lil’ dip in the pond.<\/p>\n Image credit: San Diego Humane Society<\/p>\n Hannah Shirley has lived at the Ramona Wildlife Center ever since, where it\u2019s safe to say she lives a pretty enviable lifestyle. Not only does that include carefully coordinated game-themed birthday parties, but also daily dips in the pond, regular back rubs, and delicious meals. Sharpay Evans, eat your heart out.\u00a0<\/p>\n All that might sound like a lot of work for her human carers, but you won\u2019t find any of them making complaints \u2013 it\u2019s safe to say they\u2019re pretty enamored with the pygmy hippo (as are we).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n