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Zoo Miami's Young Pygmy Hippo Undergoes Medical Exam

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – How do you give a hippopotamus a medical exam? Very carefully but at least this hippo is still a baby.

Baby Pygmy Hippo Zoo Miami
Aubergine, the juvenile male pygmy hippopotamus at Zoo Miami. (Zoo Miami/Ron Magill)

Aubergine, the juvenile male pygmy hippopotamus born at Zoo Miami on August 4, underwent a series of exams Wednesday in an effort to find the cause of a chronic nasal discharge he has been experiencing.

The exams included a CT scan, a rhinoscopy, and a bronchoscopy. Blood samples were also collected.

Initial results are still inconclusive and the veterinary team will be meeting within the next several days to discuss some theories as to why Aubergine is exhibiting these symptoms. They will also try to determine what, if any treatment, will be necessary.

PIX: Zoo Miami's Young Pygmy Hippo Undergoes Medical Exam 

In the meantime, he appears to have fully recovered from the procedures and is back on exhibit with his mother.

Other than the nasal discharge, he is eating well and demonstrating normal behavior.

Aubergine is the second pygmy hippo born at the zoo.

Pygmy hippos are a much smaller version of their well-known cousins, the common river hippo, and usually weigh between 400 and 600 pounds whereas river hippos can reach 6,000 pounds. Pygmy hippos are also much rarer and are classified as endangered with only about 3,000 individuals believed to be left in the wild where they feed on a variety of plants and fruits.

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