Voting Station

Billy (Pygmy Hippo)

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Animal

The Resume

    (circa 1923-October 11, 1955)
    Born in Liberia
    Captured on a Firestone rubber plantation in Liberia (1927)
    Presented by Harvey S. Firestone to President Calvin Coolidge
    Donated by Coolidge to the National Zoo
    Eighth pygmy hippopotamus brought to the US
    Was six feet long and weighed around 600 pounds

Why he might be annoying:

    For some reason, the press started referring to him as 'William Johnson Hippopotamus.'
    The zookeepers named all his offspring Gumdrop. (We have no idea if this is what inspired George Foreman to name all his kids George.)
    He is the common ancestor to most pygmy hippos in US zoos, presenting a potential inbreeding problem.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was so popular that he was exhibited at the New York World's Fair (1939).
    He was paired with a female named Hannah in one of the first attempts at breeding zoo animals. (As opposed to the then-standard practice of waiting until your exhibit died, then sending an expedition to the jungle to get a replacement.)
    The first three calves he sired died in infancy. The press blamed Hannah for being a lousy mom, though a major factor may have been the fact that until the pachyderm house was completed, the pair were sharing living quarters with the zoo's lions, which must have made for a stressful environment.
    He was a stud to the end, with Gumdrop XVIII being born five months after Billy's death.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 24 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 30.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 14 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 49 Votes: 40.82% Annoying