Tahlequah native helps care for viral baby hippo Mars at Kansas wildlife park

My love of Fiona the hippo is known far and wide, but there is a new baby on the horizon that has the country talking. His name is Mars, a pygmy hippo who lives with his mother, Posie, at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard, Kansas.

The park has an Oklahoma connection: hoofstock supervisor Sierra Smith is originally from Tahlequah.

"Oh, yep, Oklahoma native through and through. I miss and love Oklahoma so, so much," Smith said.

She discovered the park during a high school visit and later took an internship, which led to her current role.

Smith is now a park supervisor, where she supervises six to seven keepers, 22 giraffes, and many other animals.

"A herd of breeding bongos, the pygmy hippos, Indian rhinos, white rhinos, all kinds of hoofstock animals and primates," she added. "I get to work with colobus, mandrills, and different primates."

A Growing Family

Mars is Posie's fifth calf. Smith said each of Posey's calves has a unique personality.

"His personality is… selective hearing," she said. "Each day we take the hippos inside for dinner, and Mars says, 'I'm going to stay right out here.'"

The young hippo is learning from his experienced mother. "As soon as mom tells him what to do, he’s on it," Smith said.

Social Media Fame

Mars' antics have captured national attention and a huge social media following.

"We've gained 200,000 followers on Facebook, like 300,000 on Instagram, 300,000 on TikTok just since posting about Mars," Smith said.

The park has also appeared on major shows and podcasts.

"We've had news stations like Today Show, Good Morning America… even on the Kylie Kelce podcast," she said.

Visiting Mars

Smith encouraged fans to visit Tanganyika Wildlife Park. "It's only a two and a half hour drive. So it's a pretty easy one-day trip if you guys want to come," she said.

Mars is about two months old. Smith said he will start eating solid foods around six months, when the park will begin training him for meet-and-greet experiences.

When it comes to his name, Smith said, "His dad's name is Pluto, so it's kind of a nod to his dad."

For more information on Mars or the Tanganyika Wildlife Park, visit TWPark.com.