Just saw this on Nitroexpress


World's Biggest Hippo Population Devastated
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

August 29, 2003

Nairobi

A new census has found a 95-percent decline in the hippopotamus population in Virunga National Park, on the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), once home to the world's largest hippo population, the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), a global conversation body, reported on Thursday.

"Hippos are extremely important in maintaining the ecological balance in rivers and lakes and nearby grasslands," Marc Languy of WWF's Eastern Africa regional programme said.

He added: "Hippo dung provides essential basic elements for the food chain, particularly for fish. The loss of more than 27,000 hippos in the past few decades is a double blow: fish catches have dwindled and the freshwater ecosystems are losing hundreds of tons of nutrients every day. Lake Edward supports over 20,000 people living around the park who depend on fish for their livelihood."

Until this year, Virunga has been at the heart of inter-factional fighting, preventing access significant areas. WWF called on the newly-installed DRC transitional government to work with conservation groups to stop poaching hippos in the park and to conserve wildlife, such as the mountain gorilla. WWF said it hoped the government would implement proper planning and management of the country's natural resources.

According to WWF, less than 30 years ago, some 29,000 hippos lived in Virunga National Park, a world heritage site. However, this year's census, conducted by the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature, WWF, and other conservation organisations in March and August, showed that only 1,300 remain. It found that armed factions were killing hippos "in shocking numbers" not only for their meat, but for their canine teeth, due to an increasing international demand in the illegal ivory trade.

"WWF is concerned that unless trade is closely controlled and poaching is stopped, hippos will be threatened with extinction," Dr Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF International's Species Programme, said.

WWF announced that the need for long-term protection of national parks and other valuable protected areas would be addressed at the forthcoming Fifth World Parks' Congress in Durban, South Africa, from 8 to 15 September.

[For full details go to http://www.panda.org/news_fact...ws.cfm?uNewsID=8526]



by 2006 population reduces by another third.Apparently, nothing was done about it.

http://www.wwf.org.au/articles/feature40/

A new aerial survey shows that the hippo population in Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of Congo) will soon be extinct due to rampant poaching for hippo teeth and meat. Once the world's largest hippo population, with some 29,000 individuals in 1974, it has now dropped to under 1,000 individuals.

Hippos are being killed by soldiers and local militia, as well as local poachers. Hippos can be bought for around US$50 dollars, and hippo canine teeth often end up as part of the illegal ivory trade.

This latest survey and exhaustive count of hippos in the Virunga National Park was carried out last month by the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN), the EU and WWF, and showed that only 887 individuals were left - down from 1,309 two years ago.

Soldiers and armed groups are still found in parts of the park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This makes it difficult for ICCN and WWF to maintain consistent conservation work in these areas.

"Soldiers are left in the park without being fed nor paid and that's a recipe for disaster," said Marc Languy of WWF's Eastern Africa Regional Programme. "The Congolese government must urgently remove the army from this protected area and ensure that ICCN staff can continue with their official mandate to control the park."

The decline of the Virunga hippo population has also adversely affected the situation of local people, especially the thousands of fishermen living around Lake Edward, within the park. The lake is one of the most productive in the world, as hippo dung provides vital nutrients for fish. The dramatic fall of the hippo population has also resulted in a rapid decline of the lake's fish stocks.

"It the government does not take the hippo situation in Virunga seriously, this will not only lead to an environmental disaster, but also to an economic crisis for local communities," added Marc Languy.

Von Gruff.

quote:

Hippos can be bought for around US$50 dollars,

I guess I took it in the cornhole.

quote:

Originally posted by 505 gibbs:

quote:

Hippos can be bought for around US$50 dollars,

I guess I took it in the cornhole.

You are not by yourself. I paid a lot more than that to shoot mine.

Hey World Wildlife Fund, how about digging into your millions ans supporting anti poaching teams with gas, guns, gear, vehicles. You XXXdamn frauds.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Fulson:
Hey World Wildlife Fund, how about digging into your millions ans supporting anti poaching teams with gas, guns, gear, vehicles. You XXXdamn frauds.

+1 ON THE FRAUDS

The Congo is out of control. Truly a scary place.

Damned shame about the hippo.

Nothing but warlords can do well in the Congo.

The eastern DRC has been a combat zone for years. The Lord's Resistance Army, run out of Uganda, is operating there now and slaughtering villagers, along with outside forces and indigenous groups, as well. It's not a place the WWF could send game wardens and expect them to live very long.

Those damn Africans! Send in the british . . . again

quote:

Originally posted by Von Gruff:
...but for their canine teeth, due to an increasing international demand in the illegal ivory trade.
.... and hippo canine teeth often end up as part of the illegal ivory trade.

fact check, please? is hippo ivory illegal? aint outlawed on EBAY, but every other piece of illegal ivory is .. except mastadon

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:

quote:

Originally posted by Von Gruff:
...but for their canine teeth, due to an increasing international demand in the illegal ivory trade.
.... and hippo canine teeth often end up as part of the illegal ivory trade.

fact check, please? is hippo ivory illegal? aint outlawed on EBAY, but every other piece of illegal ivory is .. except mastadon

Jeffe,and Von Gruff the hippo tusks are not Ivory, but teeth exactly like a human with dentyne, on the outside, and softer tooth material inside. They will slowly decentegrate over time! They are exactly like feral wild hog tusks. They are legal to sell, or trade, and no citis permit is required to import them into the USA.

Bottom line guys is that if you want to get a good woodie, ground up hippo teeth is NOT the way to go.
Peter.