The votes are in, and the Richmond Metro Zoo has a name for its hippo calf born in December.
Poppy was announced as the decisive choice of those who voted online or in person. Poppy won the overall, U.S. and Virginia votes.
Poppy was chosen as a finalist for the baby hippo because her mom, Iris, was also named after a flower.
Her mom participated in the contest in her own way by choosing from two piles of food with a name above each one, and she was in agreement with the voting public on the perfect name for her calf.
The other possible name for the hippopotamus had been narrowed down to Hammie Mae, chosen as a nod to the South and Virginia ham.
In total, 116,000 votes were cast from 165 countries in the contest to name the baby hippo.
The zoo said that Poppy is the perfect name for the “playful, perky and ever-increasing popular hippo.”
Poppy was born on Dec. 9 and weighed just 15 pounds at five days old. The zoo said Poppy will grow quickly. Fully grown pygmy hippos can weigh up to 600 pounds.
Meet Poppy at the Richmond Metro Zoo
Iris and Poppy can be seen by visitors at the indoor pool area now, the zoo said.
When the weather is warmer, and Poppy is a little bigger, the mama-daughter duo will move to the outdoor habitat which has a large pool with underwater viewing windows.
In Virginia, the Metro Richmond Zoo is the only place where visitors can see hippos.
Video: Meet Poppy
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Crystal Graham
