Space, water and the right place to thrive
This World Hippo Day, we’re celebrating the two Nile Hippos who call Monarto Safari Park home – mother Brindabella and her daughter Pansy.
Their story is one shaped by space, water and careful design.
A habitat built around their needs
At Zoos SA, habitat design begins with welfare. For Nile Hippos, that meant recognising that a traditional city zoo environment could not provide the scale and water management they require.
Instead, Monarto Safari Park’s Wild Africa district offered the ideal foundation. In partnership with SA Water, a network of clay-lined waterholes was constructed, working with the site’s natural topography and catchment lines. The result is a 13-hectare habitat that mirrors key elements of the African savannah, complete with extensive grasslands for grazing and a large waterbody for cooling and resting.
Water is central to a hippo’s life. During the heat of the day, Brindabella and Pansy prefer to remain submerged, conserving energy and keeping cool. As temperatures ease in the early morning and evening, they emerge to graze, moving across the varied terrain much as they would in the wild.
The landscape itself plays an important role. With gentle rises and slopes rather than flat ground, the habitat encourages natural movement. For Brindabella, now 35 years old, this is especially valuable, helping her maintain muscle strength and mobility. Pansy, at 12, uses the space to explore and assert herself, often displaying playful bursts of energy.
Two very different personalities
Brindabella is calm, patient and confident. She sets the tone and quietly calls the shots.
Pansy is more reactive and spirited, keeping her keepers attentive. Their interactions are often most visible in the cooler hours of the day, when they engage in open-mouth play and a behaviour known as porpoising – lifting themselves powerfully out of the water before splashing back down.
These are natural behaviours, and seeing them expressed regularly is a sign the habitat is working as intended.
The challenges of a natural setting
Providing such a large, grass-rich habitat also brings its challenges.
With abundant grazing available, Brindabella and Pansy are not always eager to leave the water when called. During times of lush grass growth, they are less motivated to participate in training sessions. As seasons shift and grass coverage thins, their willingness to respond to recalls increases.
When they do come in, they walk along the raceway to receive their evening feed and allow keepers to monitor their health. A specially designed crush enables safe weighing, with Brindabella weighing just over 1,600 kilograms and Pansy around 1,300 kilograms and still growing.
At times when they are less inclined to participate, the team adapts. Cameras placed around walkways and scales allow ongoing monitoring, ensuring any changes in condition or skin health can be observed without disrupting their natural routines.
Marking World Hippo Day
The Nile Hippopotamus is listed as Vulnerable, with populations declining due to habitat loss, bushmeat trade and poaching for their tusks.
Today, World Hippo Day is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of protecting this species, both in the wild and in human care. At Monarto Safari Park’s Wild Africa, Brindabella and Pansy live in a habitat designed around their biology, their behaviour and their long-term wellbeing.
It is a place that gives them room to move, water to rest in and space to be hippos.
