Hippos' Haven gets a facelift at Adventure Aquarium

Hippopotamuses Genny and Button - the largest residents at Adventure Aquarium - just got a $1 million upgrade to their shared home.

The two female hippos have spent their days grazing and wading in "Hippo Haven" since 2005 and remain the only hippos in an aquarium anywhere in the country (the large mammals are often found at zoos).

Starting May 29, the renovated exhibit officially opens with newly installed lighting, decorative flower and plant projections, an African inspired original musical score (think Lion King) and an upper viewing area to see the animals both up close and from above.

The 60,000 gallon pool where the hippos, ages 13 and 16, spend most of their time, got a new water filtration system, giving the hippos cleaner water to live in and guests a clearer view of them.

"You only have to take one look at them to know they're amazing animals and they're a tremendous part of the story of aquatic life," said aquarium director Kevin Keppel.

Half of the $1 million went to support for Genny and Button, like water quality improvements and enrichment activities. The other half went to the exhibit aesthetics to benefit visitors.

"This wasn't just making experience for guests better it was also making life for Button and Genny more fulfilling," Keppel said.

Ann Marie Bisagno, who works as Supervisor of Birds and Mammals at the aquarium, said along with feeding and cleaning the hippos, her job is to ensure they stay engaged and entertained.

"You're making things different in their environment. Instead of putting them out in their exhibit and feeding them a pile of food we look at their natural instincts, how they feed,  what they do in a day. You're trying to create an environment where they don't get bored."

Genny, short for Genevieve, is largest at 4,000 pounds. Button weighs 3,000 pounds. Genny is more playful, more curious and interactive with guests and a darker grey, Bisagno said. Button tends to stay more to herself and has more of a pink hue. They're trained to open their mouths so workers can file their teeth, get onto a scale, follow a target pole and lie down.

There's limited direct contact between trainers and the hippos who are considered to be extremely territorial and dangerous. Trainers stay behind the glass or in backup areas at a safe distance. "Even though we know them and have a good relationship with them, we're never under that fantasy where we can just walk into the tank," Bisagno said. "You just never know. Who wants to take that risk?"

At a press event Thursday, Keppel and Bisagno threw large Romaine lettuce heads into the tank for the hippos to gobble up as cameras flashed. The teenagers typically eat 30 pounds of food a day, mostly hay. Hippos live to be about 60-years-old.

On Sunday the aquarium is holding an official opening party to celebrate the new digs. The aquarium saw about a 15 percent drop in attendance this winter compared to last winter so Keppel said. "We're expecting a big summer," he said. "especially with these two."

- Julia Terruso