The Hippopotamus: Endangered Species Report :: essays research papers fc

The river horse Endangered Species ReportJason Wapiennik Mr. Trippeer, Biology January 6th, 1997The ban on elephant os affair has slowed down the hunt of elephants, plainlynow poachers ar getting their ivory from another creature, the river horsepotamus.For the poacher, the hippo is an easy target. They stay together for long hoursin muddy irrigate pools, as many as eighty-one rear be found in a single squargon mile.This density is so big its only second to that of the elephant.Poachers kill the animal, then dive out the teeth and sell them for as much asseventy dollars per kilo. This is a very cheap price. Elephant ivory sells foras much as five-hundred dollars per kilo. The reason the price-per-kilo is soslow is be stimulate hippo ivory is very brickly compared to the much strongerelephant ivory.Elephant ivory is no longer at the biggest risk for poaching hippo ivory is.Eastern Zaire at one time had one of the largest hippo populations in the world, around23,000 hippos . According to a count done in 1994, this number has now droppedto 11,000. The 1989 ban on elephant ivory is the main cause attributed to theexponential rise to hippo ivory trade."European and Afri scum bag activists are petitioning advocacy groups, including lastweeks annual Convention on International conduct in Endangered Species in Florida,for a ban on hippo poaching. But they say theyre a long way from putting an wipeout to the slaughter." (Howard & Koehl)The hippopotamus is an enormous amphibious animal with smooth, hairless skin.Hippos thunder mug be found in Liberia, the Ivory Coast, and a few can also be found inSierra Leone and Guinea. Hippos used to be found anywhere south of the SaharaDesert where they could find enough water and plenty of room to graze. Now, dueto poachers and predation they are confined to protected areas, but they canstill sometimes be seen in many major rivers and swamps.Hippos need water that is deep enough to cover them, but it also h as to be veryclose to a pasture. They must balloon in the water because their thin, hairlessskin is vulnerable to overheating and dehydration. Hippos were once thought tosweat blood. Actually, hippos secrete a pinkish colored crude oil that helps themkeep their skin moist in the hot African climate.Hippos are herbivores. They prefer the short grass of African plains to anyother attainable food. They normally eat up to eighty-eight pounds of this grassnightly, which they mow outdoor(a) a large patch at a time with their twenty-inch