Is this thing ugly or what? (the pygmy hippo)

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Pygmy hippo finally well-photographed

Pfft... I've seen those close up at London Zoo. They're actually quite cute.

Ahhhhhh! they are cute

It looks nice, like having a pig as a pet. Not really cuddly because its not furry.

I guess it just looks sinister because of the angle of the photo and its eye position. I guess it's not really ugly.

Um, yes, do you have any attack trained pygmy hippos? I'll need about 20 or 30...

Poetry by Patrick Barrington - I had a hippopotamus

I had a Hippopotamus, I kept him in a shed
And fed him upon vitamins and vegetable bread
I made him my companion on many cheery walks
And had his portrait done by a celebrity in chalk

His charming eccentricities were known on every side
The creatures' popularity was wonderfully wide
He frolocked with the Rector in a dozen friendly tussles
Who could not but remark on his hippopotamuscles

If he should be affected by depression or the dumps
By hippopotameasles or the hippopotamumps
I never knew a particle of peace 'till it was plain
He was hippopotamasticating properly again

I had a Hippopotamus, I loved him as a friend
But beautiful relationships are bound to have an end
Time takes alas! our joys from us and rids us of our blisses
My hippopotamus turned out to be a hippopotamisses

My house keeper regarded him with jaundice in her eye
She did not want a colony of hippotami
She borrowed a machine gun from from her soldier nephew, Percy
And showed my hippopotamus no hippopotamercy

My house now lacks that glamour that the charming creature gave
The garage where I kept him is now as silent as the grave
No longer he displays among the motor tyres and spanners
His hippopomastery of hippopotamanners

No longer now he gambles in the orchards in the spring
No longer do I lead him through the village on a string
No longer in the morning does the neighbourhood rejoice
To his hippopotamusically-meditated voice

I had a hippopotamus but nothing upon earth
Is constant in its happines or lasting in its mirth
No joy that life can give me can be strong enough to smother
My sorrow for that might-have-been-a-hippopota-mother

Iceb

Darn! I had 25 of them for you, but my full-sized hippo fell on them, the clumsy thing! Would you take it instead? Hippy Dude's not very aggressive, but he falls on command, often with devestating results to my enemies.

I understand the pygmy hippos make one's "castle" (house) look bigger, which is why they are in such high demand, but their lack of squash-power makes them more of a novelty than a truly effective security system.

Awwww it's adorable!! !!

I want one. Probably not the most practical pet though.

This reminds me of an anecdote, set in a zoo. This prim lady (think Mary Whitehouse) was watching a hippotamus, and asked a zoo keeper, "Is this hippo male or female?". The zoo keeper replied, "That question would only be of interest to another hippo!"

That is, another pygmy hippo may find this one stunningly beautiful.

He's entirely adorable. So cute.

Yes, but cute in a he-can-take-your-hand-off way. Those jaws are a bit too big for human safety, IMO.

I love his little face.

Probably a good idea to not offer a hand then. Dangerous creatures can be cute; actually, the size of his jaws might have a bit to do with it, because generally, humans are attracted to animals with larger heads; it's why pandas are so popular.