Fans around the world celebrate Fiona’s birthday and help the zoo raise money for Australia

Three years after Fiona the hippo was born prematurely — weighing just 29 pounds compared to a normal size of 50–110 pounds — people around the world are still celebrating her birthday and her remarkable survival.


As reported by People the famous hippo celebrated with a three-tier cake made out of some of her favorite foods — hay, beet pulp and produce, frozen to create the dessert — and her first bubble bath.


And because the zoo is heavily invested in conservation efforts around the world, they made a special request shared by the Orlando Sentinel for people to skip presents for Fiona this year and instead buy T-shirts that will directly benefit the Australian Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund.

Enjoy this story? Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.

Read more articles by Soapbox Staff.