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RARE PYGMY HIPPOS IN LIBERIA |
Rare pygmy hippos sighted in
Liberia
16 March, 2008
In a finding that has cheered
naturalists the world over, a group of
rare pygmy hippopotamuses have been
discovered in the forests of Liberia
in western Africa.
A band of pygmy hippos, thought by
many naturalists to be extinct, was
spotted in Liberia’s Sapo National
Park using special camera traps, BBC
has reported.
Many conservationists have for long
feared that destruction of forests,
poaching and two civil wars could have
annihilated the remaining population
of pygmy hippopotamuses, a highly
endangered species, in Liberia.
However, a team of researchers from
the United Kingdom captured images of
pygmy hippopotamuses just three days
after setting up the monitoring gear.
British newspaper The Telegraph quoted
Ben Collen, of the London Zoological
Society, and one of the researchers,
as saying, "We were delighted to
discover that a population still
persists there, but remain highly
concerned for the species, which
continues to face significant threats
from poaching and habitat degradation.
The pygmy hippo is an extraordinary,
mysterious creature that has almost
never been seen in the wild."
“What is more, Dr Collen added, “the
images showed that the animals had
survived the two civil wars which have
occurred in the country. Following two
devastating civil wars, scientifically
driven conservation action is
essential to the continued survival of
this highly threatened species."
The International Animal Rescue, an
organisation devoted to saving animals
from suffering around the world, said
on its website www.iar.org.uk that Dr
Ben Collen remains “highly concerned
about the survival of the little
hippos because they still face the
threat of deforestation and bushmeat
hunters.”
Pygmy hippopotamuses, which look like
smaller versions of the hippopotamus,
are a mysterious, secretive species
that are not very often spotted in the
wild.
According to the International Animal
Rescue, less than 3,000 pygmy
hippopotamuses remain in their natural
habitat, the Upper Guinean forest
which covers parts of Liberia, Sierra
Leone and Guinea.
As only 10% of the original forest is
left, the pygmy hippos live in a
shrinking world, the International
Animal Rescue’s website said, adding,
"What is perhaps most amazing is that
they survived Liberia's two long and
brutal civil wars. Hungry groups of
displaced people, rebels and child
soldiers ate anything that came their
way – Liberia after the conflict was
virtually devoid of animals,
domesticated or wild.”
Though Liberia is now free from civil
war, the pygmy hippos still face
danger from illegal logging and
poaching.
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