Pygmy Hippo Conservation
The pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) is classified as Endangered on the 2010 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and in 1993 the IUCN/SSC Hippo Specialist Subgroup estimated that the total remaining population was approximately 2,000–3,000 individuals.
The species inhabits the West African Upper Guinea Forest ecosystem of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, with the largest population thought to inhabit the forests of Liberia.
The pygmy hippo is an evolutionarily distinct species endemic to the moist forests of the Upper Guinea Forest ecosystem, a heavily threatened area of high biodiversity and endemicity. Since the population estimate of 1993 the numbers have likely declined as its forest habitat has become extremely fragmented and is under increasing pressure from logging, mining and farming. As a result, this has brought pygmy hippos into closer contact with humans and increased the risk of hunting and conflict. One population in Nigeria, comprising a distinct subspecies (C. liberiensis heslopi), may have already been driven to extinction.
Pygmy hippo Workshop
In November 2010, ZSL held the ‘International Pygmy Hippo Conservation Strategy Planning Workshop’ in Liberia. National and international attendees included range state government staff ( from Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone), conservation NGO staff, species conservation specialists, representatives from academic institutions and other key stakeholders.
This was the first ever meeting in the region to develop a united regional conservation action plan and strategy for the pygmy hippo and so the first opportunity for all the stakeholders from the four range countries to gather together, allowing them to forge invaluable collaborative partnerships and share their expert knowledge.
The workshop was an essential step in pulling together all of the available data on pygmy hippo population status, declines, and known threats, in order to better evaluate what is happening to this species in the wild. The workshop was extremely successful, with the stakeholders developing a comprehensive range-wide Species Conservation Strategy (SCS) for the pygmy hippo, which includes a united vision and goal for the conservation of this unique species. Another essential output from the three day workshop was an updated distribution map, showing the historical and current range of the species, which is vital to emphases the important sites for future conservation action.
ZSL In the field
ZSL has pioneered in situ work on the pygmy hippo since 2008, in collaboration with Fauna and Flora International (FFI) and Liberia’s Forestry Development Authority (FDA) in Sapo National Park in Liberia. Using camera trapping techniques to survey and monitor pygmy hippos in the park, this project has been successful in capturing the first photos of this incredible species in Liberia.
ZSL are now carrying out more in depth surveys to determine the pygmy hippo population in this priority site, to allow for a wider area to be surveyed and monitored and incorporate standard line transect and recce surveys into the pygmy hippo monitoring plan for the park.
In addition to the work in Liberia, ZSL and a team of scientists from Njala University
are carrying out a national distribution assessment in Sierra Leone, with Loma Mountains being a priority site for the project. The team are carrying out interviews with farmers and hunters to determine if pygmy hippos are indeed present. Field surveys will involve deployment of camera traps in areas villagers claim pygmy hippos are found and searching for other signs such as; footprints, dung, grazing areas and trails.
The IUCN SSC Pygmy Hippo Conservation Strategy can be downloaded here in 
English (5.8 MB) and French (6.0 MB)’.
The IUCN SSC Pygmy Hippo Conservation Strategy can be downloaded here:
Urgent need for action
With less than 3000 individual pygmy hippos remaining, in increasingly isolated populations, the need for action to conserve the pygmy hippo has never been more urgent. We are asking people to donate directly to the project in order to help ensure that the critical conservation actions identified in the strategy can be fulfilled in Liberia’s most important area for biodiversity.
Find out ZSL's wish list to help conserve the pygmy hippo by clicking 'donate now'.
