HIPPOS

Hippos are the second largest land animals after elephants, but spend most of their lives in water. The family Hippopotamidae includes the familiar common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) and the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis).

They are highly social, territorial, and complex individuals. In the wild, hippos create essential habitats for other species by keeping waterways open, fertilising rivers with their dung, and shaping entire ecosystems. Hippos form tight social groups, communicate through grunts, bellows, and underwater vocalisations, and exhibit maternal care, play, and coordinated defence behaviours.

FACTS

▫️Hippos are more closely related to whales and dolphins than to any other land animals.

▫️ Their 'sunscreen' is a red, oily secretion that protects against UV rays and infection.

▫️ Hippos can hold their breath underwater for up to 5 minutes but must surface to breathe even when asleep.

▫️ Despite their bulk, hippos can run faster than humans on land and are formidable defenders of their young.

▫️ Pygmy hippos are shy, nocturnal forest dwellers — far less studied, and far more endangered.

The Many Ways Humans Harm Hippos

Hunting & Poaching

Meat and Ivory: Hippos are illegally hunted for bushmeat and their large ivory teeth, feeding both local markets and global demand.

Trophies: Killed for sport by trophy hunters.

What you can do: Demand bans on all hippo hunting and ivory trade. Expose the trophy hunting industry for what it is, killing for pleasure.

Captivity & Entertainment

Zoos, circuses, tourist parks: Hippos are kept in concrete enclosures, deprived of natural space, social groups, and meaningful lives.

What you can do: Reject captivity in all forms. Never support zoos or wildlife parks.

Habitat Destruction

Dams, irrigation, agriculture, and logging: Destroy the wetlands, rivers, and forests hippos depend on.

What you can do: Oppose destructive projects. Support rewilding and habitat restoration. Protect pygmy hippo forest homes.

Pollution

Plastic, chemicals, oil spills: Choke and poison hippos and their habitats.

What you can do: Support river clean-ups, push for stronger pollution laws, and reduce plastic use.

Human-Wildlife Conflict

Crop raiding retaliation and water competition: Hippos are killed when humans encroach on space and resources.

What you can do: Promote non-lethal solutions and support coexistence initiatives.

Climate Breakdown

Droughts, heat stress, food and water scarcity: Climate collapse makes life increasingly precarious for hippos.

What you can do: Fight for climate justice. Demand climate action that protects all life, not just human interests.

Live Capture & Trade

Exotic pet trade, private collections, live exports: Hippos are snatched from the wild or bred for profit.

What you can do: Campaign for a global ban on hippo trade and expose the exotic animal industry.

Disease from Humans

Zoonotic spillover, antibiotic runoff: Hippos suffer from diseases spread by human activity and agriculture.

What you can do: Support buffer zones. Oppose animal farming.

War & Conflict

Shot for food, target practice, or displaced by military operations: Hippos suffer and die in human conflict zones.

What you can do: Include wildlife protection in peacebuilding efforts. Support conservation even in unstable regions.

Ecosystem Disruption

Fishing, invasive species, loss of fish that recycle hippo dung: Humans damage the intricate ecosystems hippos help sustain.

What you can do: Support full ecosystem restoration and oppose fishing.

Hippos are not resources. They are not decorations, pests, or trophies. They are someone, not something.

They deserve to live free, in their rivers, forests, and communities, not trapped, hunted, or exploited for human greed.