Mistaken Identity: Hunters Kill Endangered Pygmy Hippo During Pig Hunt!
According to reports, a pygmy hippopotamus was shot and killed when hunters allegedly mistook it for a pig during a pig hunting expedition in Australia!
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Pygmy hippos are endemic to West Africa, not Australia. It is believed this female hippo either was left behind or escaped from the Tipperary Station Wildlife Sanctuary, an exotic animal park owned by multi-millionaire Warren Anderson. But since the facility closed down in 2003, the little hippo apparently managed to somehow survive on her own in the Australian outback for years.
A photo of the dead hippo is available on the website.
Pygmy Hippos
Pygmy hippos, Choeropsis liberiensis, are rarely seen due to their secretive and nocturnal habits. At the shoulder, the pygmy stands less than three feet tall and weighs between 350 and 550 pounds. Pygmy hippos, commonly found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia, can live up to 50 years. Listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, it is estimated that fewer than 3,000 remain. Threats to the animal include habitat loss, instability and bush-meat trade.
Pygmy hippo photo by Adrian Pingstone
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