SF Zoo's Bruce the hippo moved across country for true love

KGO logo
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
SF Zoo hippo moved to Cincinnati for true love
Longtime San Francisco Zoo resident Bruce the hippo is being moved to the Cincinnati Zoo for a potential mating partner.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. (KGO) -- A freighter jet carried some very precious cargo out of SFO on Tuesday. DHL helped fly the San Francisco Zoo's 4,500-pound hippo to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

So how do you move a hippo across the country? In a special heavyweight crate, according to the zoo.

RELATED: Monterey Bay Aquarium like you've never seen it before -- through the eyes of a clumsy penguin

Inside that specially built container is Tucker -- better known as Bruce to SF Zoo visitors.

The hippo was given that nickname to honor former Giants skipper Bruce Bochy, but will be referred to as "Tucker" when he becomes part of his new hippo pod.

Bruce is moving to Cincinnati to be paired up with a potential mate, Bibi.

"It certainly took a village to move him, and we thank all of our staff, the team at DHL and SFO for their assistance in making this move go smoothly," said the SF Zoo in a tweet.