Mae Mali, Thailand's Oldest Hippo, Celebrates 61st Birthday in Good Health

SRIRACHA, Thailand – Khao Kheow Open Zoo celebrated the 61st birthday of “Mae Mali or Mother Mali,” Thailand’s oldest hippopotamus, with a special fruit cake, birthday songs and a gathering of visitors, students and devoted fans on September 8. The celebration began at 9:30 a.m. at the zoo’s hippopotamus enclosure in Sriracha, where Khao Kheow Open Zoo Director Narongwit Chodchoy, zoo executives and staff joined visitors and Mae Mali’s fans to mark the milestone. The highlight was a giant birthday cake specially prepared from Mae Mali’s favorite foods, including watermelon, dragon fruit, apples, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, grapes, carrots and fresh grass. After emerging from her pool, Mae Mali slowly made her way to the giant fruit cake and began eating at her own pace, while visitors sang Happy Birthday and applauded. The celebration also included a 10,000-baht donation from Kimberly Kasiyaphat and Muttita Charoenphot under the zoo’s wildlife sponsorship program. The contribution helped support Mae Mali’s birthday celebration and ongoing health care. Visitors could also learn more about the famous hippo through an exhibition covering her life, write birthday messages and take part in games and activities offering prizes. Mae Mali was transferred from Tilburg Zoo in the Netherlands to Thailand on June 8, 1967, when she was just one year old. She was initially cared for at Dusit Zoo, also known as Khao Din Wana, before moving to Khao Kheow Open Zoo on December 18, 2018. Over more than six decades, Mae Mali has become one of Thailand’s best-known zoo residents and has given birth to 14 calves. Despite her advanced age, Mae Mali remains in good health and continues to receive close care from the zoo’s veterinarians and animal keepers. Khao Kheow Open Zoo said Mae Mali could potentially set an even more remarkable record in the future if she becomes the world’s longest-living hippopotamus.