We sat down with Zookeeper Kayla Jordan to learn all about the Hippopotamus in this week’s episode.
Listen to learn how hippos keep their habitat fertile, all about one of the oldest animals at the Zoo, and how you can help care for hippos at the Zoo and in the wild.
READ AUDIO TRANSCRIPT
INTRO (00:00)
*Music – you and me the adventure me and you to the Zoo*
EMILY BISHOP: Hello and welcome to the Sedgwick County ZooCast, where we are inspiring respect and conservation for wildlife and wild places through caring, connecting, and conserving.
I’m your host Emily Bishop and today on the ZooCast, we’ll be sitting down with Zookeeper Kayla Jordan to talk about the hippopotamus.
Keep listening to learn how hippos keep their habitat fertile, all about one of the oldest animals at the Zoo, and how you can help care for hippos at Sedgwick County Zoo and in the wild.
INTERVIEW WITH ZOOKEEPER KAYLA JORDAN // LEARN ABOUT THE HIPPOPOTAMUS
BISHOP: Well, thank you for joining us today on the ZooCast. So if just to get started, you could give an introduction, talk about who you are and what you do here at Sedgwick County Zoo.
KAYLA JORDAN: Definitely. Hi, I am Kayla Jordan. I am a zookeeper here at Sedgwick County Zoo. I have been zookeeper for about nine years now. My first almost four years was in the Koch Chimpanzee and Orangutan Habitat. But in 2018, I was able to transfer over to the Veldt department, which includes the hippo, the rhino, the giraffe, and every once in a while, I get over to the Asian Cat Trek.
BISHOP: So, can you walk us through what an average day looks like for you?
JORDAN: Yeah, just like most zookeepers, the start the day is basic routine. So that includes any medications or supplements that the critters need. And then obviously, lots of cleaning, and we’re setting up their food and diet, any enrichment that we’re going to provide for them throughout the day, and so we try and knock out all that basic stuff first thing in the morning.
And that leaves the rest of the day for various activities like maintaining the area, taking the dump truck to dump that, and going on hay runs, doing lots of positive reinforcement training with our guys. We’re working on giraffe hoof trims right now is a big one. We do monthly weights on everybody and every once in a while, something like recording a podcast.
BISHOP: So, for people who aren’t familiar with hippos outside of like, the Madagascar movies or Fantasia, can you talk about how hippos in real life differ from hippos in fiction?
JORDAN: Yes, I’d be happy to. My coworkers and I always get a really big kick out of how hippos are portrayed as very graceful or gentle or they’re always ballerinas. I don’t know why. But in reality, they are one of the most, or the most dangerous land animals in Africa. There are typically around 500 deaths a year attributed to negative hippo interactions. So, I have yet to see one in a tutu, but they do seem pretty graceful underwater. So maybe that’s where that came from.
BISHOP: We have one hippo here at SCZ- Sweetie Pie. So, can you tell us about her?
JORDAN: I can talk about her all day. She- she got her name from her disposition. She is exceptionally sweet. I actually had a guest one time when I was telling everyone about how dangerous- how they are the most dangerous lean animal in Africa. And while I was scratching her lips, which is one of her favorite things. He called me a “hippo-crite.” So, I’m gonna steal that joke for the rest of my career.
But she is so sweet. She begs for attention. And every keeper she’s met through the years is just enamored with her. She’s never known an enemy.
BISHOP: How old is she?
JORDAN: She turned 52 this past November, which is amazing.
BISHOP: Yeah
JORDAN: We would typically say a life expectancy for a hippo would be about 50 years. So, we are super lucky to still have her around and she will be spoiled rotten every moment that we have her.
BISHOP: As she should be.
JORDAN: Yes.
BISHOP: So, where did Sweetie Pie come from? When did she arrive at SCZ?
JORDAN: She arrived here at the end of 1971. And she came here from Denver Zoo, so she was just shy of… she was about a year or two old, so she was pretty young. So, she’s known SCZ for most of her life. So, this is definitely her home and we like to drive that fact home with everybody. So, if you came here as a kid, you probably saw Sweetie Pie. She is Wichita’s hippo for sure.
BISHOP: Yeah, she’s been here like, as long as the Zoo’s been open pretty much.
JORDAN: Yes. Yeah. It’s- it’s really cool to know that I saw her as a kid coming to the Zoo. Now I get to be her caretaker.
BISHOP: That is really cool. Yeah.
Does she have any, like quirks or like odd little behaviors?
JORDAN: Oh, yes. She, like I said, she is all about the affection. So usually first thing in the morning, she’s one of the first animals we greet and she gets her supplements. But you’ll usually find her at the back door with her face up on the door and that’s… you can either scratch her and give her pets that way or you can give her food and those are the two things she is always seeking out. She is the best beggar.
BISHOP: What’s her- her favorite snack?
JORDAN: There’s not much she’s turned her nose at. You know one of the things, I’m sure everybody’s seen videos of, but she… it never gets old to feed a hippo a watermelon or a pumpkin, and she has yet to ever turn those down. So those are really cool just to see the force, their jaw strength and her to get a snack and the process is always a good thing. And we have had her turn down green beans before so I like to tell kids you get one vegetable pass.
BISHOP: Yeah. If not even the hippos will take it…
JORDAN: Yes. Yeah, I love green beans. So she doesn’t get it from me, but that is the one time. We gave her six green beans and we found six in the morning. She had eaten everything around them.
BISHOP: She knows what she’s about.
So, our hippo lives at the African Veldt habitat. But what is a hippos habitat like in the wild?
JORDAN: So, they are going to live, as you’d probably guess, around rivers and lakes and waterways that are typically going to have more gently sloping banks. A common misconception is that hippos can swim. They cannot truly swim, they are using their buoyancy to kind of bounce off the bottom of the waterways and they’re kind of like porpoising. And so they’re using that buoyancy to kind of navigate. So, they do not like to be in deep waters. They want to be… the muddier the better. That’s going to protect them from the sun and keep them cool during the day, but they want to be where the water’s kind of shallow but they’re able to submerge. Pretty much wherever you’d find a Nile crocodile these guys are gonna be too.
BISHOP: Oh wow.
They cohabit… cohabitate? Cohabitate.
JORDAN: They have a healthy respect for each other that, you know a bull hippo could take out a Nile crocodile, but a Nile can also pack a punch. So, they… they respect each other and generally will try to avoid each other.
BISHOP: What ecological niche are they fulfilling within their habitat?
JORDAN: They have a lot of symbiotic relationships. I’m sure anybody’s watched the nature documentary have seen the birds that like to pick off external parasites off of large mammals in Africa, those ox packers and stuff, they get a good snack out of it, and the hippo gets spared the parasite. So, it’s a good deal for everybody. And another famous pairing are the cichlids that like to eat debris off of hippos, just other fish like to hang out and eat and all the goodies that are on their skin.
They are also, one of the cool things about them is that they will hang out in the waterways during the day when it’s hot. And you know, they’re smarter, they want to hang out where it’s cooler, and the flies can’t bother them. But during the nighttime at like dusk is when they will walk out through these worn pathways that they’ll wear, you know, for a mile or two miles to go to a pasture to feed. And they will keep these pathways clear. And that allows for when there’s a heavy rainfall, that increases waterways for these guys. So, they’re kind of making their own habitat as they go.
BISHOP: Yeah, that’s cool that they like trudge the same path.
JORDAN: Yes and they are able to mark it to with their feces, so they claim it. And they like to spread out when they’re grazing. So, they kind of, everybody spreads out does their own thing. And then everybody comes back to the hangout in the waterways and digest their food.
BISHOP: Yeah, so they live in like groups?
JORDAN: Yes, they live in what you could call float, or you know, herd environment,
BISHOP: Does it tend to be… like I know, with some animals it tends to mostly be like female groups, and then the males are kind of solitary, or will be in like bachelor groups. For hippos, is it like that? Or is it more like everyone’s all together?
JORDAN: Yeah, they can be in pretty large groups, there’ll typically be like, one more dominant bull and kind of the cows will hang around and their offspring. But yeah, there’s usually one big dog male that will kind of run the show. And then they do again, it’s all about the scent marking with these guys. So they do, though. So they’ll defecate and they’ll be able to mark their territories that way, which is also another cool thing about them being a part of their environment is that they… their feces is great fertilizer, so it’s really keeps those waterways very fertile.
BISHOP: So, can you talk about hippo conservation and why it’s important?
JORDAN: Well, actually, hippos are considered vulnerable and their population’s pretty stable at that. So, they’re big. They are not in dire straits, but they… one of their biggest issues is habitat encroachment. And we’re losing a lot of their habitat to agriculture and just human development. So, their biggest issue is just having a space, but they’re doing really well in protected areas.
One of the issues that’s kind of coming to light is as we see more conservation focus going into African elephants and protecting against the ivory trade, poachers are kind of turning to Nile hippos as a replacement, because sometimes the legislation to protect against ivory ban or ivory bans will ban specifically elephant ivory, but Hippo tusks are also ivory. And they actually have more enamel, so it’s a little more durable. So unfortunately, they are sometimes hunted for meat, and then even more unfortunately for their tusks.
BISHOP: So, if listeners wanted to get involved with hippo conservation, then what could they do?
JORDAN: One of the best things you can probably do is look towards other flagship species and look towards those protected areas and see what we can do to provide hippos those space. They’re really good at defending themselves. So as long as we give them the space they need, so sometimes even supporting, like African elephants, or, you know, other native animals to that area also provides that habitat for these guys to do what they do best that’s sit and hang out on their waterways and eat. They’ll take care of everything else.
BISHOP: Yeah, they’re living the good life.
JORDAN: They have it all figured out. Yeah.
Like, conservation habitat wise, is that they can decimate like a farmer’s crop in one night, you know, so like, it kind of explains why…
BISHOP: It’s a lot of retaliation killings.
JORDAN: A lot of yes, a lot of retaliation killings and stuff like that. So, trying to make it make sense for everybody here that you know, like, they’re not just the cute hippo. So, like, yeah, take it or leave it.
BISHOP: I mean, like you said, they are they are dangerous. And is that… my understanding, and correct me if I’m wrong, because you are the expert, that part of that is like boats, because…
JORDAN: A lot of boats, yeah, they can. I mean, they’re going to win on land and in water. So there’s just if very territorial, there used to be a misconception that they were man-hunters. And that’s just not the case. They just are protecting themselves, so…
BISHOP: Yeah, it’s that thing, like they’re not going out of their way to do it. But it’s, you know, you come onto their turf, and they’re gonna defend their area that they’ve claimed.
JORDAN: They are better than us at running and swimming.
BISHOP: Yeah,
JORDAN Yeah, sure.
BISHOP: Peak… peak Design, truly?
JORDAN: Yes.
BISHOP: Yeah.
JORDAN: Did you know that George Washington not only had the wooden teeth but had hippo dentures too, like hippo teeth?
BISHOP: Really?
JORDAN: Yeah. And apparently, as they were degrading over time, they tasted terrible.
BISHOP: Oh, I bet.
JORDAN: And so he soaked to them in wine.
BISHOP: I guess that makes sense. Because I think like some dentures have been made from… they were made from like, ivory.
JORDAN: Yeah, so ivory. Yeah.
BISHOP: Yeah, I guess you always… you only ever tend to think of like elephants with the ivory trade. But hippos also…
JORDAN: They are starting to be more affected by it. Yeah.
LEARN ABOUT THE ZOO’S HOLIDAY GIFT MEMBERSHIP (12:51)
BISHOP: We’ll be back in a moment to learn more about hippos. But first, let’s hear about how the Zoo makes holiday shopping easy.
Trying to find the perfect gift for a loved one can be tough. Shopping during the holiday season is stressful.
So why not make things easy and get your loved one a gift they’ll never forget? When you purchase the Sedgwick County Zoo’s Holiday Gift Membership, you not only get two additional guest passes, but 15 months of membership for the cost of 12.
Enjoy unlimited visits to the Zoo, early entry, discounts on special events, and early access to the Sedgwick County ZooCast.
Visit scz.org/membership and select the holiday gift membership option to get started.
This year, take the stress out of holiday shopping and give the gift of membership.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF CHRISTMAS MUSIC // RADI-HO-HO-HO (13:51)
BISHOP: We will return to talking about hippos momentarily. But it’s the holiday season. And if you turn on the radio and you’re listening to a Christmas radio station, you’re likely to hear a song that’s kind of relevant to this episode. A 1953 song recorded by Gayla Peevey.
RADIO SINGING: I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. Only a hippopotamus will do
BISHOP: So, we’re going to play a game. And the game is called
*drumroll*
Radi-Ho-Ho-Ho
*rimshot*
JORDAN: Oh no
BISHOP: Because that’s festive.
JORDAN: Yes
BISHOP: So, the rules of the game are simple. People, you know, they- they want all kinds of things during the holiday season, including hippopotamuses. Hippopotami?
JORDAN: Yeah. Actually, both are correct.
BISHOP: Really? All right, good.
So, I’m going to play a part of a song, a Christmas song where someone is wanting something, and you’re going to finish the line and say what it is that they’re singing about.
JORDAN: Oh no, I hate Christmas music…
BISHOP: Well, this will truly be a challenge then.
And listeners can feel free to play along at home. And we have five songs. So, you just have to get at least three correct to win.
JORDAN: To win, yeah.
BISHOP: But first, I’m going to read this legal disclaimer, which is a letter to the producers of the songs we’re going to be listening to, so:
Dear Sony Music Entertainment, Capitol Records and BMG heritage,
The use of your songs in this instance is protected under fair use due to this podcast being educational in nature. Please do not put a copyright strike on this episode. I hate to say it but you would be ruining Christmas by sending us a cease and desist.
Once again, this podcast is protected by the Copyright Act of 1976.
Happy Holidays and Warm Regards,
-Emily Bishop and the rest of the Sedgwick County ZooCast Team
JORDAN: Don’t disrespect Sweetie Pie.
BISHOP: Exactly. You would ruin her episode? Come on!
That being said let’s get into the game.
JORDAN: Oh, yes.
BISHOP: So, song number one…
RADIO SINGING: All I want for Christmas
JORDAN: Is you
BISHOP: Is you. You got it. Mariah Carey’s 1994 hit.
JORDAN: Can never get that one out of your head.
BISHOP: No, you cannot, she stays at the top of the chart.
Okay, so you’ve already got one.
JORDAN: Yes.
BISHOP: All right. So on to song number two…
RADIO SINGING: if I could only whistle. All I want for Christmas is
JORDAN: My two front teeth
BISHOP: You got it. Two. See, you’ve got… you’ve got all of them correct so far
JORDAN: I forgot to ask what do I win? Do I get to take Sweetie home?
BISHOP: You gotta take that up with people higher up than me
JORDAN: Nah, just kidding she can stay here. We’ll hang out here.
BISHOP: So yeah, if you get this next one right you win and the rest are just like bonus
JORDAN: Oh good.
BISHOP: So…
RADIO SINGING: Santa baby, I want… and really that’s not a lot.
JORDAN: How do I not know this? I don’t know…
BISHOP: You don’t know? In this song Eartha Kitt’s singing about wanting a yacht.
JORDAN: A yacht?
BISHOP: I want a yacht.
JORDAN: Dream big.
BISHOP: Yeah, dream big. Who doesn’t want a yacht?
JORDAN: Yeah.
BISHOP: Well, you can you can redeem yourself with this one. Question number four:
RADIO SINGING: Want a plane that loops the loop. Me I want
JORDAN: A hula hoop
BISHOP: A hula hoop. You got it. So, see you’ve already… you’ve already won.
JORDAN: Yes.
BISHOP: Question number five is just… just bonus. It’s extra credit.
JORDAN: I still don’t know what I want though.
BISHOP: You have some time to think about it.
JORDAN: I’ll get there.
BISHOP: All right. Question number five. The final one:
RADIO SINGING: Feliz Navidad prospero ano y felicidades. I wanna wish you
JORDAN: Wish you Merry Christmas?
BISHOP: Exactly.
JORDAN: From the bottom of my heart.
BISHOP: You got it. So, four out of five. You are the winner.
*applause*
You win the game. And you get to be… I don’t know you get to take over as the queen of Christmas for the, for the day. That’s… yeah…
LEARN ABOUT HOW YOU CAN HELP HIPPOS AT SCZ AND IN THE WILD (18:08)
BISHOP: Before Kayla and I finish our conversation about hippos, let’s learn about how you can help with their conservation and care.
If you’ve enjoyed learning all about hippos in today’s episode, consider adopting one and become a Zoo Pal.
Starting at just $25, as a Zoo Pal, your donation goes directly towards the care of Sedgwick County Zoo animals. We also have some great perks for Zoo Pals, including recognition in the Zoo, a certificate of adoption, a plush animal, and more.
Adopt a hippo and become a Zoo Pal today. Just visit scz.org for more information.
CLOSING THOUGHTS ON HIPPOS (18:55)
BISHOP: And now as an ending note, I just have a few more questions.
So, what question are you asked the most by guests about hippos?
JORDAN: It’s probably, aside from the basics of what’s her name and what does he like to eat, is usually everybody wants to know how long they can hold their breath. And typically, you’ll see literature say about five minutes but there’s even records of like juveniles who are scared and feeling threatened going underwater for 20 minutes.
BISHOP: Oh, wow.
JORDAN: So yeah, so they can hold their breath for a long time which makes things like anesthesia for these guys nearly impossible.
BISHOP: I bet
JORDAN: Yes. Sweetie is not out to set any set any hippo Olympic records.
So, they are most of the time not going for that long underwater but they like to hang out in the shallow ways where they can just pop up and think and get a breath and actually have a involuntary response where when they’re asleep, they can just pop up to the water and take a breath and they don’t have to wake up or anything.
BISHOP: Yeah, don’t even have to think about it.
JORDAN: Yeah.
BISHOP: So, what is your favorite thing about hippos?
JORDAN: Just all of their adaptations for their semi-aquatic life. They are just so unique and weird. I love that they, you know, their ears and their nostrils can seal off when they go under water so they don’t take in too much water. They have a mechanism on the back of their throat that allows them to eat vegetation in the water without essentially drowning. And the calves are able to nurse underwater. They have a protective membrane on their eyes so they can swim under waters with their eyes open, which is unnerving to watch happen, but they are you know, it makes sense for their lifestyle.
BISHOP: That’s cool that they like, you know, I mean, obviously they’re like designed for where they live, but…
JORDAN: They are so adapted from the web toes everything they just they know what they’re doing.
BISHOP: Yeah, they’re professionals.
JORDAN: Yes, absolutely.
BISHOP: So, what is your favorite thing about Sweetie Pie?
JORDAN: I could do an entire podcast episode on the things I love about Sweetie Pie. She just… everyone instantly falls in love with this animal. She truly is a sweetie pie. She has the sweetest disposition and she does love to have her nose scratched on the top of her snout. And I just love when you hit the right spot, she’ll close her eyes and it’s like watching a puppy when you hit the good scratching spot and they just close their eyes and relax them to it. And her ears. Her ears, the way they flick around and her toes. Just everything about her so cute.
BISHOP: You’re Sweetie Pie’s number one fan
JORDAN: Number one, yeah. It’s my honor.
BISHOP: Well, those are all the questions that I have. Is there anything else I didn’t ask you about the maybe like to speak on or comment?
JORDAN: I don’t think so. Just if anyone has any discoveries for hippo immortality we are very interested in that.
OUTRO (21:57)
BISHOP: Thanks for listening to the Sedgwick County ZooCast.
This podcast is recorded on the traditional land of the Kiowa, Osage, Wichita, and Ute People who have been stewards of the land since time immemorial.
This episode was researched, written, and produced by me, Emily Bishop.
We’d like to give a special thank you to Kayla Jordan for sitting down and talking with us about the hippopotamus.
Thank you to the Sedgwick County Zoo’s Marketing and Communication Team.
And a special thank you to our Zoo Members, whose support makes this podcast possible. If you’re interested in becoming a Zoo Member, visit scz.org/membership.
Be sure to give us a follow so you never miss when we upload new episodes.
Thanks again for listening. Until next time, I’m Emily Bishop and this has been the Sedgwick County ZooCast.
