(MENAFN) A female pygmy hippopotamus named Eva at the Yekaterinburg Zoo in central Russia is unable to find a mate due to Western sanctions, the zoo director told RIA Novosti.

Svetlana Prilepina explained that the zoo had identified a suitable male hippo from a partner institution in the Czech Republic, but international sanctions have blocked the animal’s transport to Russia. She noted that finding a genetically compatible mate within Russia was not possible, making international sourcing essential to preserve healthy breeding lines. The search has spanned Europe and Asia.

Pygmy hippos are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with fewer than 3,000 estimated to remain in the wild. Eva, who arrived from Edinburgh in 2013, is now 13 years old. She is mostly active during the evening and night, enjoys swimming and playing with a ball, and spends her days resting in water.

Adult pygmy hippos stand 75–83 cm tall at the shoulder, measure 150–177 cm in length, and weigh 180–275 kg. Unlike their larger relatives, they are more solitary and spend much of their time hidden in forested areas rather than in water.

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