Pygmy hippo

The pygmy hippo lives in the forests and bushlands of West Africa. Once widespread, its habitat is now concentrated in just a few areas of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire, which are connected by the Upper Guinean rainforest. The Upper Guinean rainforest is considered a biodiversity hotspot and is home to countless endangered animal species, including the forest elephant, chimpanzee, and pangolin, as well as more than 300 bird species and 600 butterfly species.

According to estimates by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), fewer than 2,500 pygmy hippos remain in the wild today. It is one of Africa’s rarest mammals. Habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as illegal hunting, have led to the species disappearing from many parts of its former range, where it has not been sighted for many years.With its elongated body and a shoulder height of up to one metre, the pygmy hippo can move almost silently through dense undergrowth. Unlike its larger relative, the common hippo, it spends much of its time away from water. It is mainly active at dusk and moves under the cover of darkness to avoid predators such as leopards and crocodiles.Its particularly elusive lifestyle makes it difficult for conservationists to gain precise insights into its behaviour. Yet this knowledge is essential for developing effective conservation measures to protect it.

Zoo Berlin supports a research project in Côte d’Ivoire that investigates the distribution of pygmy hippos in the Cavally Nature Reserve and the Dassioko Classified Forest. Using camera traps, researchers from the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques monitor the presence of these elusive animals and analyse the factors influencing their distribution. The data collected will help close existing knowledge gaps and provide an important basis for updating the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, as well as for developing future, scientifically sound conservation strategies.