Berlin Zoo mourns Kathi, its beloved 50-year-old river hippo

Kathi, the much-loved river hippo at Berlin Zoo, has died at the age of 50. She had lived at the zoo since 1997 and was one of its oldest mammals. Staff described her loss as deeply felt across the entire team. Born on 17 May 1975 at the Silesian Zoological Park in Chorzów, Poland, Kathi reached an exceptionally advanced age for a hippo. During her decades in Berlin, she gave birth to four calves.

In recent days, Kathi had shown signs of weakness and spent more time than usual in the water. Veterinarians had been closely monitoring her due to age-related arthritis in her limbs. The exact cause of her death is now under investigation by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW). Three hippos remain at the zoo: Bouli (13), Nala (14), and Willi, who was born in 2025.

Kathi's passing leaves a significant gap at Berlin Zoo, where she had been a long-standing resident. The zoo continues to care for its remaining hippos while awaiting the findings of the post-mortem examination. No details are currently available on any living descendants she may have in other zoos.