Baby Hippo’s Stubborn Refusal To Go Inside Is the Ultimate Toddler Moment

Baby Hippo’s Stubborn Refusal To Go Inside Is the Ultimate Toddler Moment originally appeared on PetHelpful.

As any pet parent, dog sitter, and vet tech knows, attitude comes in all shapes and sizes. Whether it’s an angry house cat, a sassy squirrel, or a massive mad bull, animals’ emotions can be just as prominent and distinct as humans’.

Zookeepers know this, too! Training and raising wild animals can come with their fair share of challenges, including stubborn tantrums like this one that the @tanganyikawildlifepark shared on July 27.

At the Kansas Zoo, a baby hippo named Mars gave his handler a run for her money when it was time to wind down for the day. He wasn’t ready to go inside yet, and he had no qualms letting her know it!

Talk about a toddler tantrum! Mars was not about to go inside without a fight, regardless of what her handler did. Whether she put him in the right direction, tempted him with a game of tag, or gently herded him toward the door, the baby animal wasn’t having it.

“That’s the most adorable spicy potato I’ve ever seen!” one commenter gushed. Isn’t he irresistible? Even though he’s acting like a naughty little kid, he’s also such a baby when his wildlife handler is around.

Related: Viviana the Hippo Celebrates 50th Birthday at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the Sweetest Way

Whatever Mars’s latest mood may be, this ‘ungovernable’ zoo animal has pet parents and moms feeling seen.

One mama wrote, “My toddler does that at bedtime too. Glad to know I’m not the only one dealing with this.” LOL! Many pets are also experts at turning into dead weight when it’s time to go somewhere they’re not excited to be, but Mars takes the cake when it comes to stubbornness.

Mars the Baby Hippo

This adorable harbinger of chaos was born at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in late June to proud parents Posy and Pluto. Mars (whose name was likely inspired by his dad’s), weighed only 13 pounds at birth, but as an adult pygmy hippopotamus, he’ll weigh somewhere between 300 and 700 pounds!

Luckily for the zookeepers, Mars is still small enough to be easily handled. When he’s an adult, though, his stubbornness is going to be so much harder to control!

Thankfully, that can be left as a problem for another day.

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Baby Hippo’s Stubborn Refusal To Go Inside Is the Ultimate Toddler Moment first appeared on PetHelpful on Aug 1, 2025

This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.