More but Not Completely Docile
Common hippos are well-known for their ferocious behavior toward just any animal that they perceive as a threat, which can include humans (it’s estimated that about 500 people a year are killed by hippos, more than by nearly any other wild animal). Pygmy hippos by contrast are much more chill, though they can get dangerously aggressive as well. Last year, a pygmy hippo newly introduced to the John Ball Zoo in Michigan killed a sitatunga antelope named Chopper. In 2012, a pygmy hippo attacked a zookeeper at the Dvur Kralove Zoo, sending them to the intensive care unit.
