It is with great sadness that we announce that our beloved Prince Harry the pygmy hippo passed away at 10h30 this morning (9 May 2012).

Prince Harry the pygmy hippo was operated on today to repair an umbilical hernia, which had the potential to cause gut strangulation. Unfortunately at the conclusion of the operation he went into respiratory arrest and ultimately heart failure. Despite repeated attempts to resuscitate him, Harry passed away on the operating table.

Toni Inggs, Harry’s “mother” and caregiver is completely devastated, as are all the staff at the Cango Wildlife Ranch in Oudtshoorn, South Africa.

Harry became an overnight sensation due to his beautiful nature and ‘too-cute-for-words’ little face. The pint-sized “jelly-baby” as Toni, so lovingly referred to him... will be sorely missed by all who had the privilege of meeting him.

In Harry’s short life, he managed to raise much needed awareness for his species and their plight in the wild, and Cango Wildlife Ranch will continue to fly the flag of awareness for this species in honour of Harry’s life. 

Harry had a very rocky start in life after being rejected by his mom, but all stops were pulled out to make sure that this little superstar had a chance at life. His bond with his caregiver and “mommy”, Toni, ensured that Harry was an extremely happy little hippo!

From all at Cango Wildlife Ranch, we continue to send you an abundance of #hippolove.