When Gayla Peevey's catchy Christmas wish for a hippopotamus came true in 1953, she didn't need to test the lyrical theory that a two-car garage would have plenty of room to house her "hippo hero.

With inspiration from the song and the zoo's desire for a hippo, a fundraising campaign began, with schoolchildren pitching in with the operation. All that was needed was $4,000. This wasn't the ...

A female pygmy hippo named Iris gave birth to a healthy female calf on December 9 at the Metro Richmond Zoo, officials said.

She was a children's Christmas song come to life. On Dec. 24, 1953, a 700-pound "baby" lumbered from her moving crate into the awaiting water at Oklahoma City's Lincoln Park Zoo. "I Want a ...