What was once the world’s largest hippopotamus population has been slashed by 95 percent by civil war and poaching, the World Wide Fund for Nature said last week.
A survey in Virunga National Park, in eastern Congo, by WWF and local conservation bodies showed that only 1,300 hippos remain, compared with 29,000 less than 30 years ago, WWF said.
It said the devastation of the hippo population also has had a dramatic effect on fish stocks in the area, in turn affecting the livelihoods of local people.
”WWF is concerned that unless trade is closely controlled and poaching is stopped, hippos will be threatened with extinction,” said Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF International’s species programme.
”Armed factions are killing hippos in shocking numbers for their meat and teeth. There is increasing international demand for hippo canine teeth in the illegal ivory trade,” WWF said.
The body said hippo dung is an essential element of the food chain, and the loss of hippos has led to dwindling fish catches and the loss of hundreds of tons of nutrients from the freshwater ecosystems every day. Lake Edward, within the park, supports more than 20,000 people who depend on fish for their livelihood.
Hippos also eat up to 60 kilograms (132 pounds) of grass every day, maintaining grasslands and opening up paths for other animals to get to waterholes, WWF said.
”Earlier this year, hundreds of hippos were reported to have been killed by poison in River Rutsuru, which supplies Lake Edward with fresh water, most likely for their canine teeth for sale as ivory,” WWF said.
Virunga is the oldest park in Congo. It was established in 1929 and stretches from Lake Albert in the north, through Lake Edward to the northern end of Lake Kivu. The park was originally set up to protect mountain gorillas.
Congo’s civil war broke out in August 1998 when neighboring Rwanda and Uganda sent troops to support rebels seeking to oust then-President Laurent Kabila.
While the war is now officially over with the installation of a transitional government in Kinshasa last month, factional fighting has not ended.
Further south, at the northern end of Lake Tanganyika on the border between Congo and Burundi, the large hippo herds in the marshy areas are coming under increasing attack from Burundi rebels, who kill them for food, and from Burundi government soldiers, who kill them for the prized hippo steaks that are featured on the menus of several upscale restaurants in Bujumbura. — Sapa/AP