"Mom, where did Dad propose?"
"At the zoo."
"The zoo?"
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"Uh huh."
"Where hundreds of animals live? Where visitors are constantly surrounded by the fetid stench of faeces and unprotected outdoor animal sex?"
"Yes, that is where your father Nick Kelbe [context] proposed to me".
That's a conversation we've imagined but, yup, a couple in America recently had their limelight well and truly stolen. When Nick Kelbe proposed to girlfriend Hayley "On A" Roll, he must have expected the moment would be captured by surrounding zoo visitors.
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What he didn't plan on was for their special moment to be shown up by a baby hippo seemingly peering up at them.
That is possibly the most adorable thing I have ever seen in my tiny little life. An engagement. A baby hippo. Water. It has all the ingredients that could possibly be needed to melt the stoniest of hearts.
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The couple were visiting the world-famous Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Ohio (Oh! Hiyo!) on October 8 when a baby hippo (Hip! Oh!) swam over to have a gander at what was going on.
And what was going on turned out to be Nick getting on one knee and popping the question. It is not known whether Fiona was actually there because she loves engagements, or if she was actually trying to get through the glass to eat the couple, as she surely would if she had half the chance. Adorable.
Hayley, a radiology tech at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, said: "We went to the zoo for our one-year anniversary and Fiona was in the window. We are huge Fiona fans and have been following her since she was born. Nick, my boyfriend, and I were waiting in line to get our photo taken with Fiona and I gave my cell phone to someone to take the photo and when I turned back around, Nick was on one knee proposing."
Credit: PA. Fiona (not pictured) has yet to confirm if she will accept a wedding invite
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Nick's decision to propose at the zoo might have seen his thunder well and truly stolen, but given that Hayley said yes, it's unlikely he minds.