Pygmy Hippopotamus Snapped in Sierra Leone

An endangered kind of pygmy hippopotamus has been snapped on camera.

One of the most cautious mammals on Earth, the pygmy hippo is hardly ever seen in the wild but was snapped in west Africa, in the country’s national park.

The hippo, which resembles a smaller version of the hippopotamus, had been recognized by the “Globally Endangered” line-up, as being in need of urgent protection.

Pygmy Hippopotamus

There are only 3000 pygmy hippopotamus left in the wild in Sierra Leone and there are severe concerns about their survival due to poaching threats.

But the clever camera traps set up by “ZSL” captured the rare pygmy hippo on film within just three days.

The cameras will stay in place monitoring in order to produce precise population estimation and a protection plan.

They were delighted to find out that a population still persists there, but stay extremely concerned for the species, which continues to face major threats from poaching and habitat deprivation.