WCPO: Cincinnati Zoo care team ready for Fiona's sibling to arrive
UC master's student performs weekly ultrasounds on hippo mom
WCPO highlighted University of Cincinnati master's student Julie Barnes' unusual day job as a veterinarian at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.
UC master's student Julie Barnes poses in front of the Cincinnati Zoo's CREW logo. Photo/Lisa Hubbad/Cincinnati Zoo
As part of her work with the zoo's Lindner Center for Conservation and Research in Endangered Wildlife, Barnes performs ultrasounds on a 3,000-pound hippo. The hippo, named Bibi, is the mother of Fiona, a hippo born six weeks premature in 2017 whose early struggles made her a beloved international celebrity. And soon Fiona will have a baby brother or sister.
Barnes told WCPO that zoo staff are hoping Bibi will bring her new baby to full term, a milestone that should take place about two months from now. So they are monitoring the pregnancy closely, Barnes told WCPO.
"I think we'll all finally take a breath that we've done it, we've done a great job of it and we're all going to have to have a celebration after that," she said. "As will the rest of Cincinnati, too."
The WCPO story was shared in 34 TV markets around the country.
When she is not working with endangered animals such as snow leopards and Amur tigers, Barnes is studying biological sciences in UC's College of Arts and Sciences. She came to UC to learn more about conducting research in UC assistant professor Elizabeth Hobson's lab.
UC master's student Julie Barnes performs an ultrasound on an endangered snow leopard at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Photo/Provided
Related Stories
UC public relations course reaches vulnerable community
December 19, 2025
Rather than having students find opportunities for real world applications of their degrees beyond class, why not bring it to them in the classroom? The public relations campaigns class, offered through the communications department in UC’s College of Arts and Sciences, gives students a taste of experience in the field.
Bazinga! UC physicist cracks ‘Big Bang Theory’ problem
December 19, 2025
A physicist at the University of Cincinnati and his colleagues figured out something two of America’s most famous fictional physicists couldn’t: theoretically how to produce subatomic particles called axions in fusion reactors.
UC undergraduate collaborates with Swiss university on drone research
December 19, 2025
Prissha Chawla, undergraduate student at the university of Cincinnati, is double majoring in computer science and statistics at the College of Engineering and Applied Science and College of Arts and Sciences. Now preparing to graduate in the spring of 2026, Chawla’s journey at UC has been full of impactful experiences. Since she arrived, she has had the opportunity to participate in a new international exchange program with a university in Switzerland, present at an international conference in Prague, co-op with Delta Air Lines, and much more.