Woodland Park Zoo’s hippo Guadalupe weighed in at 3,285 pounds and Water Lily weighed in at 2,994 pounds giving a total combined weight of 6,279 pounds to cap off the online contest to guess the weight of the hippos
A two-week online contest to guess the combined weight of Woodland Park Zoo’s two hippos ended today when the hippos were weighed in at the zoo.
Today’s weigh-in of 12-year-old Guadalupe and 33-year-old Water Lily revealed a collective weight of 6,279 pounds, with Guadalupe weighing in at 3,285 pounds and Water Lily at 2,994 pounds.
The contest winner is 42-year-old Alane Michels of Sprague, Wash. who guessed 6,280 pounds. Two people were eligible to win based on the accuracy of their guesses, and by random draw, Michels won the prize.
Michels has won the rare opportunity to meet the hippos behind the scenes in the hippo barn. When notified that she won the contest, Michels, who grew up in Kirkland, Wash. said, “This is a dream come true! I grew up coming to Woodland Park Zoo and am such an animal nut. I can’t believe it!”
Additionally, the zoo will give Michels a 4-gallon bucket of Zoo Doo, six single-day passes to the zoo, and a ZooParent hippo adoption. More than 2,800 entries were submitted to the statewide contest.
“The contest has been a fun way to put the spotlight on these iconic animal ambassadors,” said Pat Owen, a collection manager at Woodland Park Zoo. “It’s a teachable moment for people who took the time researching the natural history of hippos, or simply throwing out a wild guess on their weights. Congratulations to Alane!”
The scale is a new acquisition for the zoo’s pair of hippos and an important tool to help ensure the health of the animals by carefully monitoring their weight but how does one get a powerful hippo to step on a scale and stand still?
“Hippos are very independent-minded animals so training requires patience and positive reinforcement to make the animals feel comfortable,” explained Owen. The hippos, particularly Guadalupe, are becoming comfortable with the weigh-in. “As part of our exemplary animal care program, the scale will help us get accurate weights on a regular basis and we’ll modify their diets accordingly.”
Visit zoo.org to learn more about the Woodland Park Zoo, its programs, and residents.
