Hippo massacre of 'dramatic proportions' rocks tourist haven

cagkt3

Titanium supporter
AH legend
Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Messages
3,005
Reaction score
2,201
Location
Texas
Media
90
Articles
1
Hunting reports
Africa
2
USA/Canada
3
Member of
DSC, SCI - West Texas Chapter, HSC, NRA Life Member, Ducks Unlimited
Hunted
South Africa, Zimbabwe, OK, TX, UT, KS
Hippo's killed in Niger?

Read something just now on a village that had "massacred" 27 hippos due to attacks on people and destroying crops. Being new to hunting in Africa, does Niger allow hunting? Seems like something that hunting could have helped control the population. Article below (from Fox News)

Hippo massacre of 'dramatic proportions' rocks tourist haven
At least 27 hippos have been slaughtered in a touristy zone in western Niger by villagers who blame them for destroying crops and harming livestock, local authorities said on Thursday.

The "massacre ...started in March and then assumed dramatic proportions" mainly in island settlements on the Niger river, the prefect of the Ayorou region, Jando Rhichi Algaher, told AFP.

Large numbers of hippos and several bird species have made Ayorou, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the capital Niamey, a popular place for tourists.

Patrols by troops "have helped slow the slaughter", Algaher said.

"The locals have killed a large number of hippopotamuses, although this species is protected," Environment Minister Almoustapha Garba said on state radio.

"We urged the local people not to break the law and took note of their concerns," said Garba, who promised to pay compensation to the affected farmers.

Tension is high in Ayorou after the arrest of about ten people suspected of killing a hippopotamus. Some of the suspects have been freed, Algaher said.

In May, local tribal chiefs issued warnings about hippos, saying they were ravaging crops and threatening boats on the Niger river.

In 2014, 12 schoolchildren aged between 12 and 13 were killed when a hippo attacked their boat on the Niger at Libore, a village near Niamey.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hippo's killed in Niger?

I had to read that title twice...! :E Confused: For a second there, I thought we were going in a TOTALLY different direction...
 
Yeah, I had to type pretty carefully to avoid a major fat finger mistake.
 
Wish I could have been there to help them with this but only Ida permit was granted!
 
Today's history and geography lesson:

I too was surprised by the headline and details of the article. I've been to Abuja, Nigeria in central Nigeria and it is very arid. Hard to imagine enough water in Niger, even further north, to support hippos.

Found this on Wikipedia:
The earliest use of the name "Niger" for the river is by Leo Africanus in his Della descrittione dell’Africa et delle cose notabili che iui sono published in Italian in 1550. The name may come from Berber phrase ger-n-ger meaning "river of rivers".

Map of the area. A few months ago, my wife had an off the wall idea one day, saying we ought to go to Timbuktu before we leave Lagos and move back to the US. My response was Why? and where exactly is Timbuktu? The Why was, "just to say we've been to Timbuktu" (and I suppose get a T-shirt saying "I've been to Timbuktu") and where was "Not sure." Went to Google Earth and found Timbuktu is in Mali. So the Timbuktu to Niamey area and further south along the Benin border is actually a marshy area for the Niger river. Good hippo habitat, as long as they don't prevoke the locals.
 
upload_2017-7-14_9-31-0.png
 
No hunter no conservation!
 
I also want to go to Timbuktu
Most Norwegians my age actually will say Timbuktu is a corral town. Why? Because in the 70s and 80s Donald Duck was several times shipped away on a boat in a crate marked Timbuktu.
I would also like to go to Zanzibar. The norwegian version of "Get lost!" is " go where the pepper grows"; and that is Zanzibar.

What does this have to do with the hippos in Nigeria? Nothing
 
Oh and thank you to Jerome (or whomever else) edited the title of my post!!(y)
 
Mali is not a safe place to visit nowadays.
 
I guess the tourists were not parting with enough money to make Hippo production sustainable.
Crop raider reduction program local style!
 

Forum statistics

Threads
53,630
Messages
1,131,511
Members
92,689
Latest member
SVCBoyd46
 

 

 

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

Impact shots from the last hunt

Early morning Impala hunt, previous link was wrong video

Headshot on jackal this morning

Mature Eland Bull taken in Tanzania, at 100 yards, with 375 H&H, 300gr, Federal Premium Expanding bullet.

20231012_145809~2.jpg
 
Top