Hippo Turf Wars

By: Hadley Pierce Photos: Hadley Pierce

South Luangwa National Park is home to the arguably the highest concentration of hippos in Africa. 1 With an estimated 4850 hippos per kilometre of river, they are a constant fixture in the riverside landscape of the valley. 2 This provides the perfect viewing platform from which to observe the hippo social structure.

1 Open Journal of Ecology Vol.4 No.5(2014), Article ID:45048 2 http://www.zambiatourism. com/about-zambia/wildlife/hippo Hippos travel in groups called “pods” which consist of one dominant male presiding over several females and calves. The stretch of river that they occupy is considered the male’s “turf,” and he will vigorously defend it from any potential challengers that may want to mate with his females or take over the territory. In areas that are overcrowded, this requires constant vigilance.

As the summer temperatures rise, the river’s water levels drop dramatically. Humans contribute to the decline by pumping water out of the river to service nearby settlements. With decreasing amounts of aquatic real estate available, dominant bulls begin to search for deeper pools to move into that are sometimes, unfortunately, already occupied by other bulls. Vigilance turns to aggression. This is when the turf wars heat up.

When a foreign male attempts to encroach upon another hippo’s territory, he will tentatively (or

sometimes not so tentatively) advance, making his way closer and closer to the pod. The dominant male interprets this gesture as a brazen challenge, and his first instinct is to scare off the intruder. He will make himself appear as large as possible, walking into shallower water to show off his bulk and opening his jaw as wide as it will stretch to show off his massive canines.

This show of force is sometimes enough to send the intruder fleeing. However, as competition for space increases, the dominant males can’t afford to back down. During these times, the challenger will often copy the bull’s aggressive body language and the two will do a mirroring dance until one of them officially declares war.

The ensuing action is spectacular. The hippos charge at each other by running along the bottom of the river, creating powerful bow waves that rush to the surface of the water. At the moment of the attack, the hippos erupt from below, thrusting themselves into battle. A deafening thud follows the collision of two 2,500 kg bodies. Soon after, the crackling sounds of bone and ivory become audible.

These two enormous animals are fighting to inflict fatal wounds, aiming massive blows to the face and throat in an attempt to do maximum damage. The force of their canines can easily penetrate and rip through the hide of their rival, causing deep, bleeding gashes to emerge on their faces, necks, and sides. No matter how weak they become, instinct drives these animals to continue fighting to protect their territory. The resulting massively violent altercations often end in deaths.

In South Luangwa last October, I watched as a battle wound-riddled dominant bull defeated an opponent in a gruesome fight in the river and then unrelentingly chased the bleeding intruder from the water for over a kilometre down the riverbed. The tenacity, aggression, and raw violence that these animals show towards each other when they fight explains why every dry season, the rangers of the Luangwa Valley find numerous carcasses of hippos that have succumbed to war wounds. With thousands of hippos in South Luangwa National Park, it is arguably the best place in the world to photograph or simply view the astonishing displays of aggression that are hippo turf wars.

Originally from downtown Boston, Hadley spent her childhood traveling all over the world. She fell in love with the bush at a young age and at 21 decided to move to Africa for good. For the last year and a half, she has been guiding in Southern Africa, taking photographs and writing along the way.

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