The hippopotamus in the wetlands of southern Benin

The aim of this study was to create a database composed of biological, ecological, ethological and socio-economic data on groups of hippopotamus isolated in 8 village territories in the wetlands of the department of Mono/Couffo in southwestern Benin.
The hippopotamus were counted by direct observation and their footprints and dung were sampled. Their daily activities were observed over a period of 24 hours by observation from a canoe and an observation platform. The general behaviour of the animals was described through a survey carried out among 108 people.
Hippopotamus live alone or in groups of up to 10 individuals in lakes, ponds, pools, lagoons and rivers. Only 30 hippopotamus were counted directly whereas the surveys among the local residents suggested that there were 45.
The most intense period of activity among the hippopotamus is between 5 pm and 8 am. During most of the day, between 8 am and 5 pm, they rest and sleep. Behaviour observed during the study included: sleeping, resting, swimming,
feeding, playing, defecation, bellowing and yawning.
The destruction of crops for food such as maize (Zea mays), manioc (Manihot utilissima), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and cotton constitute one of the main sources of conflict between the local residents and hippopotamus (leading to the
death of 8 people). In the natural environment, the Poaceae and the Cyperaceaea are the most common vegetal families in the food of the hippos. Poaching, practised either with traditional or modern techniques, is the main threat faced by
this species (27 hippos have been slaughtered).
For the local residents, the hippopotamus occupies an important place in their culture, religion (it is a symbol of the divinities), food, and economy (it is a tourist attraction). The delimitation of a ring of small biological reserves for
hippopotamus and management methods for the ponds/rivers for them with the involvement of the local residents are proposed.

Auteurs:

Gautier Amossou, Guy Apollinaire Mensah, Brice Sinsin

Adreeses:

Direction Générale des Forêts et des Ressources Naturelles (DGFRN), Université d'Abomey Calavi, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Laboratoire d'Ecologie Appliquée (UAC/FSA/LEA)- Bénin- 03 BP 1974 Cotonou, Benin Tel: +229 21 36 01 26 / +229 21 31 79 93/229 21 30 30 84 Fax: +229 21 30 30 84