The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has condemned the killing of a hippopotamus by local vigilantes in Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State, describing the act as unlawful and a major setback to wildlife conservation in the country.
A video of the incident, which has since gone viral, shows the rare animal being killed by the group.
The Foundation in a statement issued on Friday, said the act further threatens Nigeria’s fragile hippopotamus population, which is estimated at fewer than 100 nationwide.
Director-General of the Foundation, Joseph Onoja lamented that the incident highlights the growing human, wildlife conflict driven by climate change, habitat destruction, flooding, and shrinking grazing and freshwater resources.
“While we acknowledge the fear or hardship that may push communities to such actions, the killing of endangered species is both unlawful and immoral. Hippopotamuses play a vital role in maintaining wetland ecosystems, and their loss is a loss to all Nigerians,” Onoja said.
The NCF recalled that Nigeria had already lost its native pygmy hippopotamus subspecies (Choeropsis liberiensis heslopi) to extinction, stressing that every surviving individual of the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) must be protected.
The NCF urged government agencies, traditional institutions, and community leaders to intensify awareness campaigns, enforce wildlife protection laws, and create mechanisms that allow for safe human-wildlife coexistence.
It also called on law enforcement authorities to investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable, warning that failure to act would embolden further illegal killings of endangered animals.
In the time past, Hippopotamuses, once widespread across Nigeria’s rivers and wetlands. Now, they have suffered a sharp population decline over the past decades. Today, they are mostly found in isolated habitats in states such as Cross River, Niger, Kogi, and parts of Edo.
Conservationists warn that farming expansion, deforestation, and unregulated hunting have reduced their habitats, leaving the species highly vulnerable. With fewer than 100 individuals believed to remain in the country, each killing significantly threatens their long-term survival.
In a country where hunting and fishing are largely unregulated, indiscriminate killing of wildlife remains a serious threat.
In many rural communities in Afemai land, including the communities in Ivie land, hunters are well celebrated.
Those who are able to hunt and kill endangered species like wild pigs, Buffalo, Tiger, and others are celebrated as heroes.
I recall as a child, during particular group hunting expedition in a faraway jungle forest, a particular Hunter named Benjamin shot and killed a wild pregnant pig. He was epically celebrated in the community.
Wild animals are often mowed down without consideration for age, gender, or whether they are pregnant.
Such practices, repeated across the country, have left forests and rivers increasingly empty of wildlife.
The absence of a deliberate national policy to address this drift is worsening the problem.
Conservationists argue that Nigerians, especially rural dwellers, must be reoriented to appreciate that depleting wildlife populations harms the ecosystem and ultimately undermines human survival.
A major hurdle also lies in cultural and religious interpretations. Many rely on biblical passages where God gave man dominion over animals to justify indiscriminate hunting.
However, environmental advocates insist that dominion should be understood as stewardship and responsibility, not reckless exploitation.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
