After decades of steep decline due to poaching and habitat loss, the hippopotamus population in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park is showing signs of recovery.
Still, researchers from the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) say the status of the animal in the park should remain critical, since the count, conducted last year, totals only 8.2 percent of the estimated peak population of about 30,000 individuals in the 1970s.
The research appears in the most recent edition of Suiform Soundings, a newsletter published by the IUCN’s Pigs, Peccaries, and Hippos Specialist Group.
“The hippo is one of Africa’s iconic species, one that is becoming increasingly threatened by hunting and other factors,” WCS scientist Deo Kujirakwinja, the lead author of the paper, said in a release. “Our findings that hippos are on the increase is encouraging, and evidence that efforts to protect hippos and other species are working.”
The researchers say that the increase in hippos is likely the result of increased enforcement in Virunga National Park’s portion of Lake Edward and nearby river systems, and collaboration between fishermen and park authorities in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
In the 1970s, Virunga National Park contained Africa’s largest known hippo population, with especially large groups found in both the Rwindi and Rutshuru rivers. Later surveys revealed a steep decrease in hippo numbers as a result of hunting, human development, and agriculture, as is the case with declines in other large mammals in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
“These recent surveys have shown that the Ishasha River on the border with Uganda is now very important for their conservation and shows that transboundary conservation efforts are succeeding there,” said Andrew Plumptre, WCS senior scientist and co-author of the report.
The scientists noted that, while past surveys have relied partly on aerial counts, recent efforts have entailed more ground surveys than before (plane-based counts were avoided in many areas due to the presence of militias). The ground counts resulted in more hippos being recorded and improved population estimates, in part because aerial surveys often miss submerged animals in lakes and rivers. The count found 2,406 hippos in 177 pods.
Growing up to 13 feet in length and weighing up to 4,400 pounds, the common hippo is one of the largest mammals in Africa. It often congregates in pools, rivers, and lakes and can stay submerged for up to six minutes. They are herbivorous animals and feed almost exclusively at night. The common hippo is listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN’s Red List.
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