Rare baby pygmy hippo takes first deep-water swim

A three-week old pygmy hippopotamus has taken his first swim in the deeper end of the pool at Australia's Melbourne Zoo where he lives.

Luckily, he had his mother close by the whole time who gave occasional assistance as needed.

This is considered a milestone for the calf, as he has been steadily gaining weight -- which is now up to nearly 30 pounds or about a pound a day -- and learning to navigate the waters of a shallower area.

Zookeepers have named him Obi, which means "heart" in a Nigerian language, and he is the first pygmy hippo to be born at the zoo in around 34 years.

The species is considered to be endangered, but it is difficult to calculate the exact number that exist since they generally live in dense rainforests.

Zookeepers plan to introduce Obi into breeding program after he matures.