Group: Hippos Face Extinction in Congo

[Eugene]

Group: Hippos Face Extinction in Congo

Monday, September 12, 2005

(09-12) 14:27 PDT GLAND, Switzerland (AP) --

Only 887 hippos are left in Congo, once home to the world's largest
population of the water-loving mammal, and they will be extinct in
the African country, an international environmental group warned
Monday.

Hippos are being killed by government soldiers, local militia and
poachers, the World Wildlife Fund said. The meat is sold as food
while teeth end up as part of the illegal ivory trade. Hippos fetch
around $50 per animal.

The latest aerial survey puts the hippopotamus population in
northeastern Congo's Virunga National Park down to under 1,000
animals, compared to some 29,000 in 1974. The last survey in 2003
counted 1,307.

The continued presence of soldiers and armed groups in the park —
a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a 400-mile-long boundary — has made
it difficult to protect the animals, the WWF said.

More: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/09/12/international/i142704D42.DTL