Gaborone, Botswana – A extreme drought induced by El Nino is taking a dire toll on wildlife in northwest Botswana, leaving a whole bunch of endangered hippos stranded in shrinking ponds and mudflats.
This environmental disaster highlights the challenges dealing with Botswana’s giant hippopotamus inhabitants, which is among the largest on the earth.
Moemedi Batshabang, director of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, reported that round 500 hippos are presently trapped because of the lack of water brought on by blistering warmth.
Particularly affected is the Nxaraga lagoon close to Maun, the place over 200 hippos are stranded.
Local conservation efforts are being spearheaded by the Maun-based Save Wildlife Conservation Fund.
Lars Gorschlüter, the fund’s director, defined that they’re actively pumping water into the lagoon and offering day by day feedings of lucerne and different sustenance to the hippos.
These measures are crucial as hippos require water not just for hydration but additionally to guard their delicate pores and skin from the acute warmth.
Despite the dire circumstances, the relocation of those hippos to extra steady water sources just like the Okavango Delta has been dominated out because of the excessive prices and price range constraints.
This determination has been backed by some conservationists, together with Map Ives, who advocate for permitting nature to take its course. Ives argued that whereas the loss of life of some hippos is likely to be inevitable, it’s a part of the pure steadiness and shouldn’t be interfered with by human actions.
Further complicating the state of affairs, some hippos are additionally caught within the mud as water ranges recede within the Chobe River, which flows from Namibia.
In response, Namibian authorities have indicated that they’re collaborating with Botswana to drill extra boreholes to replenish the drying channel.
This disaster not solely impacts the hippos but additionally has broader implications for the area’s ecosystem. The El Nino drought has devastated meals sources and significant habitats for quite a lot of wildlife throughout southern Africa.
The ongoing drought underscores the pressing want for complete regional methods to handle the impacts of local weather change on each the atmosphere and the wildlife that rely upon it.
https://www.africanexponent.com/botswana-takes-bold-action-to-rescue-stranded-hippos-by-replenishing-drying-river-channels/
