Why are hippos on the verge of extinction?
Why are hippos on the verge of extinction, wonder animal enthusiasts and environmentalists. In accordance with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Pygmy Hippo is classified as “Endangered.”
The number of pygmy hippos in natural regions is estimated to be fewer than 3,000, according to recent population estimations. Biodiversity is under danger from a variety of sources today, including pollution.
If we look at the highlights of the report, we may recollect the following issues: habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, human population growth, and overharvesting of resources.
As a result of the ivory trade, hippopotamuses may become extinct.
Because of logging and human development, both kinds of hippo habitat are under risk. Pygmy hippos are particularly susceptible to habitat loss because of their small size and limited mobility.
According to experts, the legal protection for pygmy hippos in Liberia, where the vast majority of the surviving population lives, is weak and poorly enforced, and deforestation of their natural habitats continues apace. Common and pygmy hippos are both killed for their ivory and flesh, and hunters target both species.
When it comes to the global wildlife trade, conservationists have a lengthy list of issues to worry about. The addition of hippos to their list may be necessary.
What is the cause of the plight of hippos?
Scientists from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Hong Kong published a study in the African Journal of Ecology demonstrating that hippo teeth have a major impact on the business volume of the local economy, which might jeopardize the species’ existence.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classed hippos as “weak” animals (IUCN). Africa’s hippo population has fallen as a result of unrestrained overhunting for meat, skin, and teeth, as well as diminishing habitats and an increase in hippo-human clashes. A century may be required to eradicate the species at its present pace.
Lions and Hippos in a Turf Battle
The reason for the plight of hippos According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the demand for hippo teeth increased significantly after the international trade ban on ivory ivory was implemented in 1989, according to their data.
Due to the fact that many nations continue to be able to acquire elephant teeth, ivory decorations and accessories carved from them now attract lower costs on the international market than the elephant work. Elephant ivory dubs are more difficult to smuggle than hippo teeth.
In 1975, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Animals and Plants (CITES) was established. The documents analyzed were acquired from CITES.
Almost all international traffic in hippopotamus travels via Hong Kong, which is the world’s busiest transit center for endangered animals, with 75 percent of imports coming from just two countries: Uganda and Tanzania.
SOS Endangered Animal Species is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of endangered animal species.
The reason for the plight of hippos In the worldwide hippo tooth industry, imports and re-exports account for more than 90 percent of total sales in Hong Kong.
Despite the fact that Tanzania and Uganda account for more than 75 percent of all imports, there is a considerable variation in the quantity of commerce reported.
Uganda’s export volume is greater than Hong Kong’s import volume in the vast majority of transactions. On an aggregate basis, Hong Kong has claimed that it has imported 1,717kg more hippo teeth than Tanzania has exported.. Thus, it is possible that the real amount of commerce is greater than the level of trade permitted by international treaty.