Adorable Hippo Fiona Stole the Limelight During a Couple’s Engagement Photo at Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio

You spend weeks planning the perfect proposal, only to be upstaged by a baby hippopotamus when you finally pop the question.

Adorable hippo Fiona stole the limelight during a couple’s engagement photo at Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio.

Nick Kelble and his girlfriend Hayley Roll regularly visit Fiona and were delighted their favorite animal witnessed the proposal.

The ecstatic new bride-to-be wrote in a message to her boyfriend on Instagram: “We're so happy Fiona could be there on our special day. Here's to many more years of going to zoos with you.”

She added in an interview with the Daily Buzz: “We went to the zoo for our one-year anniversary and Fiona was in the window.

“Nick, my boyfriend, and I were waiting in line to get our photo taken with Fiona and I gave my cell phone to someone to take the photo and when I turned back around, Nick was on one knee proposing.”

Fiona became the first Nile hippo born at the zoo in 75 years back in January and had a fight to survive after her mother gave birth six weeks early.

“Full term hippos usually weigh between 50-110lbs,” the zoo says. “Fiona only weighed 29lbs when she was born 6 weeks premature. She is the smallest hippo to ever survive.”

The zoo say Fiona is a “little hippo with a big personality”.

“As Fiona continues to grow, the many facets of her complex personality are really starting to show!” they said earlier this year.

“It’s fascinating to watch how the different elements of her personality seem to reflect the natural history of the hippopotamus.”

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Have You Seen the Animal Chairs of Maximo Riera?

When you’re designing your dream room, you may find yourself thinking about the one piece of furniture that will really make a statement.

And if making a seriously unforgettable statement is for you, then the animal chairs of Maximo Riera just might be for you. But don’t say we didn’t warn you! These things are intense.

Creating, or even making over, a piece of furniture is a serious project and takes a considerable amount of time, just like this conversion of a century-old sleigh.

And these amazing chairs are no different. Each one is custom-made using cutting-edge technology in a process that can take up to eleven weeks to produce just one.

But take a look at them and you’ll see why. While they might not be the perfect complement to your living room, you have to admit these are pretty fascinating.

Riera’s furniture is certainly not for every home, but there’s something undeniably captivating about it. The pieces are both playful and sinister, celebratory and solemn, and when you look at them, you can’t help but think of humans and their often damaging relationship towards the other animals on Earth. You can see more of Riera’s designs on his website  and Instagram, and if you know someone in the market for a new chair, you can always share this article with them — but you probably shouldn’t expect a giant toad to show up in their living room.

Riera creates these massive chairs that look like the bodies — or at least the partial bodies — of animals.

They are, to say the least, rather strange.

Each piece is manufactured to order, and on average, 480 hours are spent creating just one.

The chairs are made of a high-density polyurethane, which is very durable, and inside, each one has a metal frame for extra support.

What's more, no two are ever alike. The coding that determines their color is unique to each piece, so while the shapes will be the same, the color or color combination never will be.

So...with all this labor involved, why would anyone do this?

For Riera, this series is an homage to nature and the many forms it takes.

Riera took inspiration from each of the animals featured in the collection, using his own feelings about them, as well as cultural associations and scientific information.

Plenty of time and care was spent to create an accurate portrayal of the animals' unique characteristics, shapes, and textures.

They also make us think, uncomfortably, of trophy walls and taxidermy. They make us aware of the way humans that have exploited animals, and how we should be protecting and not damaging our planet.

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A Rare Pygmy Hippo Calf Was Born at the San Diego Zoo

A rare pygmy hippo calf was born at the San Diego Zoo on Wednesday—the first surviving hippo birth at the zoo in over a decade.

The little hippo weighs about 12 pounds and was born to its mother, Francesca.

The significant birth adds to the world's smallest species of hippo which is currently on the endangered species list. There are approximately 2,000 pygmy hippos left in the world, according to the San Diego Zoo.

"Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the mission of San Diego Zoo Global," the zoo said in a press release.

As of now the sex and name of the calf is unknown. Francesca and her baby will be alone in a private barn until the calf is ready to swim in the larger pool on exhibit, the zoo said.

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