Gombe State to establish Nigeria's first ever hippopotamus colony under wildlife protection programme

GOMBE State government has announced plans to establish a hippopotamus colony at Dadin Kowa under an ambitious wildlife protection programme aimed at saving the animals from extinction and combating the threat they currently pose to fishermen.

Across Africa, the hippopotamus is responsible for more human fatalities than any other large animal as male hippos actively defend their territories which run along river banks and lakes. Females have also been known to get extremely aggressive if they sense anyone coming near their calves, who stay in the water while she feeds on the shore.

Hippos can run at speeds of over 20 miles an hour and they have enormous jaws which host up to 20 inch canines. Referred to in ancient Greek as the river horse, the hippo is a large, mostly herbivorous, semi-aquatic mammal and is the third largest living land mammal after elephants and white rhinos.

Alhaji Sa’ad Hashidu, the director of Gombe State Forestry and Wildlife Management said the issue of persistent attacks between the hippos and fishermen in Dadin-Kowa was discussed by the National Council on Environment in 2017 where it was agreed that a colony would be established as a permanent solution. He added that the meeting mandated the National Park Service Board to liaise with the state government to work out the modalities.

“With regard to the outcome of the council’s decision reached in Abeokuta, Ogun State in 2017, we wrote a memo to the state government requesting for funding for a feasibility study. We are expecting that as soon as the fund is made available, we will bring the officials to do the needful so that the specie can be protected too.

“Also, a consultant from the United Kingdom visited last week for a feasibility study. She held a meeting with the Yamaltu Emirate Council, officials of Dadin-Kowa dam, fishermen and farmers on the issue and is working out modalities too to get international donors to synergise with the state government to establish hippo colony,” Alhaji Hashidu said.

He explained that the species would be confined within a particular area in Dadin-Kowa dam, adding that as conservationists, it was their duty to protect the hippos from extinction. Alhaji Hashidu stressed that the measure would end the clashes and boost socio-economic activities of the area as there would be no challenge of hippos grazing or destroying crops or fishing equipment.

Furthermore, he explained that the colony will also be a source of revenue to the state government as tourists and researchers will be visiting the facility. Alhaji Hashidu, however, noted that in the interim, forest and game guards had been contacted to help chase back the hippos to the dams whenever they made attempts to graze on farmers’ crops.

According to Alhaji Hashidu the guards have not been active of recent due to paucity of funds but he assured they would  resume soon. Mallam Sa’adu Adamu, leader of the fishermen in Dadin-Kowa had on March 28, raised an alarm over the threats hippos pose to their lives and businesses.