What Would A Safari Be Without Hippos?

It is hard to believe that less than 100 years ago sightings of hippo in the Luangwa Valley were the exception rather than the norm. In the mid 1800s, Luangwa Valley hippo populations were heavily exploited by trade expeditions in search of meat, slaves and ivory. The relentless pressure on the hippo was continued into the early 1900s by professional hunters. By the 1930s there were so few hippo left that hunters thought it quite an event to hear a hippo let alone see one. Outbreaks of sleeping sickness, from 1912-1925 and again from 1927 onwards, however, deterred hunting and gave the hippos some respite. Fortunately, good sense prevailed in 1939 and a ban on hunting and total protection of hippos was enforced above the Luangwa River Bridge.

The formation of North and South Luangwa National Parks has been instrumental in facilitating their revival. In the Nsefu sector, for example, hippo census data nicely illustrate their amazing recovery. In 1964 there were approximately 16 individuals per kilometre of river, increasing to 42 per kilometre of river by 2008 and 70 per kilometre of river in 2010. Hippos also play a major role in the ecology of the Luangwa River system, and becauseof their partially amphibious nature, nutrient cycling between terrestrial and aquatic habitats is particularly important. Hippos convert vegetation biomass from grazing into a form that can fertilize the river and so support other aquatic forms of life such as fish, frogs and insects. Due to their grazing habits, they create and maintain areas of short grass known as hippo grazing lawns. Many of the smaller antelope species prefer these shorter grasses and rely on this to satisfy their preferred grazing. The habitual use of hippo pathways to grazing areas initiatesconduits for the movement of frogs and fish between lagoons during the rainy season, while wallowing in lagoons creates and maintains areas that hold water well into the dry season that attract a variety of game.

We often take it for granted that the Luangwa River supports one of the highest densities of hippo in Africa. A celebration of the recovery of this iconic species is in order. We hope that the North and South Luangwa National Parks will continue to secure this flourishing hippo population so that future generations can enjoy their aquatic antics and incredible plethora of grunts, groans and snorts, ubiquitous sounds to anyone on a Luangwa Valley safari.