In drought-stricken Botswana, herds of endangered hippos are in danger of perish because they are stuck in the mud of dried-up ponds, conservation officials told AFP on Friday.
Due to the El Nino weather phenomenon, Southern Africa has experienced a severe drought that has threatened harvests and left millions of people hungry. Recently, a number of nations in the area have proclaimed states of national disaster.
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 vast wetlands of the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana.
“The river system dries up and animals are in a compromised situation,” said Lesego Moseki, spokesperson for Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) in Botswana’s capital Gaborone.
Botswana is home to one of the world’s largest populations of hippos living in the wild, estimated at between 2,000 and 4,000 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“The riverine vegetation is poor and the hippo in Ngamiland (northwestern district) depends on the water flowing through the Okavango Delta systems,” Moseki added. They were still looking into the how many hippos had died in the pools, he said.
Hippos typically inhabit humid regions and require frequent bathing to prevent sunburn due to their sensitive and thick skin.
They may turn hostile and move toward villages if there is no water. To prevent conflict with humans, local authorities are advocating for the relocation of hippos to reserves.
El Nino is a naturally occurring climatic pattern that is generally linked to increased global heat, causing drought in certain regions and heavy rainfall in others.
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