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Metro Richmond Zoo launches livestream featuring pygmy hippos

Metro Richmond Zoo is putting their new pgymy hippos — Iris and Poppy — front and center on its daily live stream feed on YouTube.

RICtoday hippo live stream GIF

Enjoy this 7-second clip of Poppy nodding off and taking a nap underwater. | GIF via Metro Richmond Zoo

There are 10,000+ channels livestreaming on YouTube, and we’d argue the cutest one is coming straight out of Richmond.

The Metro Richmond Zoo launched a new livestream on Monday of their two iconic pygmy hippos, Iris and Poppy. The stream has been affectionately named “Poppy Cam,” and it’s giving the world a glimpse into their adventures.

These daily streams are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the zoo’s YouTube channel. Since hippos are nocturnal, these streams are mostly relaxing, showing the two napping, swimming, splashing, and occasionally having a bowel movement.

“If the water appears dirty, the hippos recently pooped, and the filters are working hard to clean it,” reads the video description.

Given their vitality, the zoo is recognizing this as an opportunity for community involvement. If you want your photo, clip, or meme of Poppy to be featured in the livestream, shoot an email to admin@metrorichmondzoo.com.

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