Successful collaboration between Diergaarde Blijdorp and IBREAM. What has been hoped for many years has recently become reality. During an expedition to Taï National Park in Ivory Coast, scientists captured footage of a pygmy hippopotamus and her calf in the wild. A truly unique event. And also a milestone for Rotterdam Zoo, which daily works hard to help save this elusive species. The Rotterdam zoo is furthermore one of the initiators of the successful expedition.
For years, Rotterdam Zoo has been working closely with IBREAM (Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals) to prevent the pygmy hippo from becoming extinct. The goal of the expedition was therefore to locate pygmy hippos that in the upcoming years will be fitted with a collar containing a tracker during a follow‑up expedition. These collars were previously tested at Rotterdam Zoo and must now prove their effectiveness in the humid rainforest. By doing so, scientists hope to gain more insight into the species’ distribution and habitat.
For nights on end, IBREAM and CSRS researchers (who form the Taï Hippo Project) worked deep in the rainforests of Ivory Coast. And on the very last night, they finally came face to face with not one, but two pygmy hippos! A mother and her calf were filmed for more than 30 minutes. An extraordinary piece of footage to share with the rest of the world. Finding these elusive animals marks a new step toward saving the pygmy hippopotamus.
It is a goal where many people and organisations have been working on for years. Rotterdam Zoo is a big driving force behind this effort. The pygmy hippo is one of the zoo’s ten “impact species” that they committed to protect from extinction. The Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS), L'Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves (OIPR), Parken Zoo, Stichting Wildlife (ZooParc Overloon), Givskud Zoo – Zootopia, Zoo Antwerpen, Toronto Zoo, and ZPOT all contribute to safeguarding the species from extinction.