An aerial scan of what was once the world's largest hippo population, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, shows the giant animal is being pushed to extinction. This is what the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said on Monday.
"The hippos are killed by local soldiers and militiamen as well as local poachers. The price of a hippopotamus is $50, and the animal's tusks may end up as part of the illegal ivory trade." said in the message.
The hippo population in the Virunga National Park in Congo, in the east of the country, numbered 29 thousand animals in 1974.
However, a decade of wars in the area claimed the lives of many animals, including Virunga's hippo population.
According to the survey conducted by WWF in cooperation with the European Union and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation, there are now only 887 hippos, compared to 1,309 hippos two years ago.
The WWF says that the ecological crisis is not only affecting the hippos. "The extinction of the hippos also affects the local residents, especially those who make a living from fishing around Lake Edward, which is located inside the park, he said.
The lake was the most productive in the world, as the hippos provided essential nutrients for the fish. The dramatic decrease in the hippo population was also manifested in a sharp decrease in the fish yield in the lake. A hippopotamus can weigh 3 tons or more and their rolls feed the ecosystems based on fresh water all over Africa.
Hunting them is a dangerous business because a wounded hippo can be very dangerous and attack the hunters. He can cut a man in half with his huge mouth and sharp teeth.
