INDUCTION OF PARTURITION IN A PYGMY HIPPOPOTAMUS (CHOEROPSIS LIBERIENSIS)

A 27-yr-old female pygmy hippopotamus (<i>Choeropsis liberiensis</i>) had two consecutive stillbirths with no overt signs of labor, suggestive of uterine inertia. After a third pregnancy was confirmed, an induction protocol was developed. Cloprostenol and betamethasone were administered on d 200 of gestation (time 0 h). Additional doses of cloprostenol were administered at 24 and 48 h and oxytocin at 30, 31, and 48 h. Each injection resulted in preparturient behavior without overt evidence of contractions. Fetal membranes presented at the vulva at 54.5 h after initial cloprostenol and betamethasone administration with no progression of labor. Transvaginal palpation and manual delivery of a live calf followed. Despite confirmed nursing, the serum glutaraldehyde coagulation test was negative. Failure of passive transfer may have been secondary to the induction protocol. The calf was treated with broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents due to diarrhea, and clinical signs resolved. This clinical brief details the first known induction of parturition in a pygmy hippopotamus, which can serve as the basis for further development of the technique.