The people of Ganaja village in Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State, woke up yesterday to the sight of a giant hippopotamus in the village.
The hippo, ebirareporters.com gathered was found already with evidences that it was killed in a hunt.
Upon further enquiry, the villagers discovered that the hippopotamus was attacked at Koton-Karfe, Kogi Local Area of the state, and died in the river that brought its body to Ganaja.
The Chairman of Kogi Local Government Hon. Dauda Aliyu visited the scene for confirmation.
The hippopotamus, also called or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus. Its name comes from the ancient Greek for “river horse”
Over the years, there have been increase in the call for protection of wildlife, as human continued to kill and poach the animals.
According to awf.org, “the rapid decline of Africa’s keystone species over the last few decades is devastating not only to national economies that depend on wildlife tourism but also to ecosystems that provide resources to other species and vital services to growing human populations. As wildlife habitats become increasingly fragmented, securing Africa’s wild lands gives them a fighting chance to survive.”
