Cheyenne Mountain Zoo welcomed throngs of visitors Wednesday to wish one very special hippo, Omo, a happy first birthday. 

The 500-pound hippo seemed to enjoy what zoo officials described as a capacity crowd at the Water’s Edge: Africa exhibit. And, of course, the “cake” that zookeepers had brought out. Right up until the point several peacocks attempted to steal it.

But Omo is a brave hippo and chased off the peafowl, mouth wide in a threatening manner. This is a good thing for the young hippo, says Philip Waugh, the zoo’s lead keeper of Water’s Edge: Africa.

“Omo was getting a really big confidence boost today,” Waugh said. “Peafowl are an easy animal for him to chase and scare away and feel like a big strong hippo.”

Omo weighs in at just over 500 pounds and still has another 2,000 to grow. Fully grown hippos can weigh anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds. In human care, they can live to be 35 to 36 years old with values a little lower for wild hippos.

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Waugh has worked at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for four years. In 2020, he became the lead keeper at Water’s Edge: Africa. The exhibit is not limited to just the three other hippos. It features lemurs, African penguins and a warthog to name a few.

But Omo was the star of the show Wednesday, and that’s a good thing because Omo is special in many ways.

“Omo’s parents, Zambezi and Biko, were recommended to breed based off their genetics,” Waugh said. “Omo’s providing a really good addition to the gene pool in hippos and with hippos in human care.”

Omo is also the first hippo born at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in 32 years, which Waugh said may serve as a “restart to our hippo breeding program.”

Hippos in the wild are listed as a “vulnerable species” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). According to Waugh, there are fewer than 150,000 hippos left, and unless something changes for them they are at risk of going extinct.

“They are endangered by things like illegal hunting, poaching and habitat loss as well,” Waugh said. “They just hide a little too well for their own good.”

Hippos can be dangerous in the wild, but according to Waugh, are not any “more aggressive than any other animal their size.” Many of the 500 to 3,000 human deaths caused by wild hippos are due to anti-predatory behavior rather than outright aggression since hippos can confuse small boats for crocodiles, according to Britannica.

For Omo, the only threat Wednesday were the four or five peafowl attempting to poach his watermelon “cake.” But he had no trouble chasing them off, giving guests a great show as he curled up the front of his face.

“It looks like he smells something really bad,” Waugh said. “Although the peafowl did crash the birthday party, he didn’t let it happen long.”

Waugh said that despite the peafowl interference, Omo still got plenty of his watermelon cake.

When the time came to “cut the cake,” the crowd began singing happy birthday to the now 1-year-old.