It wasn't until Jan 18 that the little hippo "Qingzai" began to interact with zookeepers in Harbin North Forest Zoo (HNFZ).

Qingzai, who previously lived in Guangdong, arrived in Harbin on Jan 14 after traveling for more than 50 hours.

After arriving at HNFZ, Qingzai appeared tired and disorientated.

The young hippo stayed in a pond for nearly two days. On being approached, Qingzai would dip his head into the water. Even if a zookeeper called his name loudly, the hippo appeared reluctant to emerge from the water.

Although Qingzai is shy, at least five zoos have expressed an interest in housing him.

"If we don't take Qingzai to our zoo as early as possible, he will be in another zoo soon," said Deng, director of the zoo, and also a veterinarian who was part of the team that transported the hippo from Guangdong.

Two years ago, HNFZ reached an agreement with Guangzhou Zoo that the next newborn hippo will be given to Harbin, whether it is male or female.

Over 10 years ago, HNFZ introduced a hippo named "Dahe" from Guangzhou Zoo. Now, the zoo wants a companion for Qingzai.

Qingzai was born on Sept 4, 2015 and as a young calf, Qingzai could not be transported by air, so the zoo decided to transport him by road.

When he arrived in Harbin, Qingzai hesitated to get out of his trailer and it took more than half an hour to coax him outside and into a pond.

"At first, Qingzai was very shy and didn't want to come out of the water," said Yang Xiujuan, a zookeeper.

"But on Jan 16, Qingzai went ashore and began to eat more," Yang said.

"However, Qingzai is now still afraid of being too close to Dahe. The zoo director wants him one day to live with Dahe and both to be companions for each other," she added.

"Let's see whether the two hippos can become good friends in the future," she said, with a smile.

Qingzai swims in a pond at the zoo. [Photo/my399.com]

Qingzai is transported from Guangzhou to Harbin. [Photo/my399.com]