The Metro Richmond Zoo in Richmond, Va., announced the baby pygmy hippopotamus ’ name on the Today show after a heated worldwide online poll . Co-host Savannah Guthrie first suggested the zoo name the baby “Hoda” after co-host Hoda Kotb, who is celebrating her final week on the show this week.

The excitement and global interest in Virginia’s newborn pygmy hippo comes after a female two-month-old pygmy hippo named Moo Deng from Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo launched an internet craze back in September.

The young female made her public debut this week, and the Metro Richmond Zoo is asking fans to vote on her name—a choice between Poppy and Hammie Mae

Social media sensation. Born on July 20, 2024, Moo Deng, meaning "bouncy pig" in Thai, quickly rose to fame as a social media sensation. The baby pygmy hippop

The votes are in and the name of the new baby pygmy hippo at the Metro Richmond Zoo is... Poppy. The new pygmy hippo calf sits next to its mom Iris at the Metro Richmond Zoo on January 3, 2025, in Mosley,

The Metro Richmond Zoo in Moseley, Virginia, has revealed on TODAY the name of the baby pygmy hippo born there in December.