Baby Hippo Leaves Pool Only for Mom’s Stare

Quick Smiles:

• Baby hippo Mars refuses to leave his pool at a Kansas zoo.
• His mom Posie’s “mom stare” reliably ends his stubborn streak.
• The heartwarming exchange charmed millions on TikTok.

Keepers at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Kansas found themselves in a slippery standoff with Mars, a baby pygmy hippo who refused to leave the pool when it was time for bed.

After many attempts, staff discovered their best strategy: call on Mars’s mom, Posie, whose legendary “mom stare” is all it takes to encourage him out of the water.

The viral video, featuring this sweet moment between mother and son, racked up 4.6 million views and delighted social media with comments about the universal power of a mother’s look.

“It seems to be universal. Moms everywhere just have that power over babies. I saw someone comment and say, ‘She must have used his full three names.’”

Dr. Samantha Russak, Curator of Research and Welfare, explained that baby hippos like Mars are covered in a protective, slippery layer called “blood sweat,” making him especially hard to move without mom’s help.

“So between his size and that secretion, it’s really hard to pick him up and just carry him inside. So we found that we can call mom back out, or if mom is getting impatient because she wants to go inside, she’ll turn around and give kind of small little grunts,” shared Dr. Russak.

As the evening mealtime approaches for Posie, her impatience seems to work wonders, proving that moms have extraordinary ways of motivating even the most stubborn little ones.

One TikTok commenter summed it up: “The ‘mom stare’ is universal in every species.”

It’s moments like these that remind us of the gentle and effective influence parents have across the animal kingdom!

For even more smiles, share this adorable hippo story with your friends.

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