Endangered Hippos Trapped in Dry Ponds in an African Nation Struggling with Drought

Maun, Botswana: In drought-stricken Botswana, herds of rare hippos trapped in the muck of dried-up ponds face extinction, conservation officials told AFP on Friday.

Due to the El Nino weather phenomenon, Southern Africa has experienced a catastrophic drought that has endangered crops and left millions of people hungry. Recently, a number of nations in the area have proclaimed states of national calamity.

Herds of hippos have been forced to move towards natural water reserves near the tourist town of Maun due to the dried-up Thamalakane River, which is located near the huge wetlands of the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana.

“Animals are in a compromised situation as a result of the river system drying up,” said Lesego Moseki, a spokesman for the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that there are between 2,000 and 4,000 hippos surviving in the wild in Botswana, making it one of the biggest populations in the world.

“The riverine vegetation is poor and the hippo in Ngamiland (northwestern district) depends on the water flowing through the Okavango Delta systems,” said Moseki. He stated that they were still investigating the number of hippos that had perished in the ponds.

Hippos often inhabit humid regions and need frequent bathing to prevent sunburn due to their delicate and thick skin.

They may become hostile and move toward communities if there is no water. To prevent confrontation with people, local officials are advocating for the relocation of hippos to reserves.

El Nino is a naturally occurring climatic trend that is often linked to increasing global heat, causing drought in some regions and excessive rainfall in others.