A Texas couple is taking heat after for enlisting a hippo in their future child’s gender-reveal party — but the zoo says the animal “enjoyed it as much as anyone else.” Jonathan and Bridgette Joseph went viral on Saturday after they threw a gender reveal party at the Capital of Texas Zoo in Cedar Creek.
As Tank the Hippo chomped on the treat, blue Jell-O exploded from the watermelon, indicating the couple was having a boy. “Yes! Yes! Thank god,” Jonathan said as others cheered the news.
The unusual gender-reveal party, however, wasn’t as well-received on Twitter, where a video of the celebrations was posted, reports the New York Post. “I did it. I found the worst gender reveal,” said Ana Bretón, who shared the footage. Bretón implored others to donate to a Pygmy Hippo Foundation as the TwitterVerse slammed the couple for feeding the hippo food dye.
But the zoo said the gender reveal wasn’t a rogue incident. As Zoo director Michael Hicks said “This is the same Jell-O people feed their kids. It’s totally harmless,”