Advertisement Hippo Henry, beloved father of Fiona, dies after illness 36-year-old hippo died Tuesday Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The father of Cincinnati Zoo’s famous baby hippo has died.Fiona’s dad, 36-year-old Henry, was euthanized by staff Tuesday morning after a battle with a chronic illness.The Nile hippo became ill mid-summer and caretakers spent several weeks working to diagnose his ailment. Caretakers finally found what they believed was causing his symptoms — an infection that was affecting his white blood cell count and kidneys — and treated him with antibiotics.But, though his white blood cell count returned to normal levels, Henry's appetite and energy did not. He had lost hundreds of pounds and after an exam Tuesday morning, his caretakers "determined that his quality of life would not improve and made the decision to humanely euthanize him," the zoo said."Regardless of the cause, Henry had lost too much weight to bounce back. He was weak and starting to become disoriented," said Dr. Jenny Nollman, Cincinnati Zoo Veterinarian. "There was nothing else we could do for him."Henry came to the Cincinnati Zoo in 2016 from Dickerson Park and immediately took a liking to female hippo Bibi. Soon, Bibi was pregnant with Fiona, who, born six weeks premature, made history as the smallest hippo calf known to survive."After watching Fiona fight, defy the odds and literally make history, it feels especially unfair and defeating to have to accept this outcome for Henry," said Wendy Rice, Africa Head Keeper at the Cincinnati Zoo. "While our time with him has been short in quantity, no one can deny that his quality of life before becoming ill was exceptional. From meeting, bonding and breeding with his mate Bibi, to becoming a father to charismatic and spirited Fiona, Henry’s days in Cincinnati were filled with sunshine, watermelons, waterfalls and the highest quality of care that can be provided to any animal."The median life expectancy for Nile hippos is 35 years. A full animal autopsy will be performed on Henry, the zoo said."We are all so sad to lose him. Everyone loved him. He was a sweet, gentle giant with a big personality. He enjoyed interacting with his caregivers," said Christina Gorsuch, Cincinnati Zoo’s Curator of Mammals.