MartinH Collection - Safari Ltd. Hippopotamus, Wildlife Wonders - video review

The hippo has been a part of the African ecosystem for millions of years, once ranging from the Nile river valley to the Cape. However, due to illegal and unregulated hunting, retaliatory killings and widespread habitat loss, the remaining 125,000-148,000 common hippos are now confined to protected areas. Of the 29 countries where common hippos are still found, populations are confirmed to be declining in half of those countries. There are actually two types of hippo species in Africa, the large hippo, or common hippo are found throughout East Africa’s grasslands and wetlands, and the small, solitary pygmy hippo dwells in West Africa’s forests. Only 2,000-3,000 pygmy hippos likely remain in Africa.