New attraction for Berlin Zoo

The famous Berlin Zoo has a brand new attraction – a ten-day-old hippo.

The zoo, which is the oldest and best known in Germany, is now home to a baby hippo, who was born to mother Kathi last week and is already attracting hoards of visitors.

The zoo's resident veterinarian, Andreas Ochs, has said that Kathi is 'most protective' of her new offspring – which has yet to be named - and reported that the baby spends most of its days dozing alongside its mother on the edge of the pool or going for a swim, with its mother closely watching from nearby.

Mr Ochs added, “The bull wants to have a look every once in a while but he is not really allowed to.

He also has some words of advice for tourists wishing to get up close and personal to the hippo family, “Sometimes visitors ask whether the keepers go for a swim with the hippos. That's definitely not an option. This is where friendship ends.

“The [hippo] teeth are only used as weapons. You can imagine that human beings have a relatively low chance of survival if they get involved with a hippo,” he added.

Berlin Zoo boasts almost 1,500 different species and more than 16,000 animals – representing one of the most comprehensive collection of species in the world.

The zoo and its famous aquarium attracted three million visitors in 2009 and is considered to be the most visited zoo in Europe.

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