ETERNAL ENCOUNTERS WITH PEOPLE
Adult hippos have almost no enemies in their environment. Even large crocodiles prefer to get out of their way and lions hunt them only very rarely. The real danger for hippos are their fellow hippos... and men.
DANGEROUS NEIGHBOURS
Hippos cause the deaths of more people in Africa each year than lions, elephants and buffaloes combined. They don’t hesitate to attack if they sense a threat – and their defensive reaction is provoked by fishing boats coming too close, or escape routes from land to the water being inadvertently cut off.
People don’t owe anything to hippos. Fishermen, who are the most threatened by them, often kill them for reasons of security whenever the opportunity arises.
PRIZED TEETH
Articles made from hippo teeth are almost indistinguishable from ivory. And because hippos are not as thoroughly protected as elephants, their teeth have become a sought-after commodity. In 2002, five tons of hippo teeth were exported from Uganda alone, which equates to 2,000 dead hippos (more than a quarter of the local population).
AN APPETITE FOR MEAT
In countries with civil unrest, hippos are threatened by extensive hunting for meat. Firearms enable them to be killed en masse and enforcement of the law is almost zero. In the Democratic Republic of Congo alone, 95% of all hippos have been killed during eight years of war.
THE NEED FOR PROTECTION
Hippos previously inhabited favourable habitats all over Africa, south of the Sahara. They have disappeared from many of them, however, and their living areas today are fragmented and decreasing in more than half of the countries in the region. At the same time, they play an irreplaceable role in the environment and their protection has an impact on the whole ecosystem.
DISPUTES OVER LIVING SPACE
The greatest threat to hippos is agricultural expansion. They are losing their habitats because fields and gardens are being created in the places where they go to graze. The result is a great number of clashes with people, which can end unhappily for both sides.
HIPPOS BETWEEN FIELDS
In highly populated areas, it’s nearly impossible for hippos to avoid passing through some fields during nocturnal grazing expeditions. They trample and destroy parts of fields, and they like to eat rice and maize. Locals therefore have no love for them and persecute them as a result.