Hippo Population Is Down 95%, WWF Says
From Times Wire Reports
The hippopotamus population in eastern Congo, once the world’s largest, has been devastated by civil war and poaching, the World Wide Fund for Nature said. A survey in Virunga National Park shows that only 1,300 hippos remain, compared with 29,000 less than 30 years ago, the WWF said.
Susan Lieberman, director of WWF International’s species program, said armed factions killed the animals for their meat and teeth, which are used in the ivory trade. She said the group feared the trend could lead to extinction.
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