Forest authorities in Liberia condemn killing of endangered pygmy hippo
Monrovia, Liberia (PANA) – Massive public outcry on social media has led the Forestry Development Authority of Liberia (FDA) to confirm that the images of a dead pygmy hippopotamus, currently circulating on the platform, was killed in the Gbarzon Forest in the Southeaster region of the country.
“It’s indeed a sad day!” the forest agency said in a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Wednesday confirming the act.
It said the hippopotamus was killed on the Liberian side of the Krahn-Grebo-Tai Trans-boundary National Park that straddles the Liberian-Cote d’Ivoire frontier.
The Liberian portion of the trans-boundary park has a total of 96,000 hectares of tropical rain forest.
The agency disclosed that the action contravened chapter 9 of the National Forestry Reform Law of 2006 which forbids the killing of protected species.
The statement further disclosed that the Liberian government was taking necessary steps in investigating the incident and promised to prosecute any individual found guilty.
Pygmy hippo is unique to a few countries, including Liberia and Sierra Leone. Currently, the population of the species is about 2,000, including those kept in zoos worldwide.
Despite its size, it can grow to almost six-feet in length and weigh about 300 pounds. It is one of the most exclusive and secretive large mammals on the planet.
It is hardly seen in the wild, but survives in isolated areas like rivers and swamps in the dense part of the West African forest of Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone and possibly Nigeria and Guinea. It uses the dense jungle as a cover, evading open spaces.
The pygmy hippo (Hexaprotodon liberiensis) is classified on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as endangered with its rapid disappearance blamed on habitat degradation and bush meat hunting.
The Liberian forestry agency expressed gratitude to its compatriots, conservation partners, animal rights advocates and other development partners for the show of concern over the killing of the endangered animal and support to the Liberian forest sector.
-0- PANA PTK/AR 23Oct2019
