\n<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (Feb. 3, 2025)\u2014A federal court approved an agreement today that requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine by July 27, 2028, whether the common hippopotamus should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.<\/p>\n
The agreement was reached after Humane Society International, the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society Legislative Fund, and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit<\/a> last year, challenging the agency\u2019s failure to respond to the groups\u2019 2022 legal petition<\/a> seeking Endangered Species Act protection for hippos. The Service was required by law<\/a> to respond and determine whether hippos should be protected under the Act by March 2023, but did not do so, prompting the 2024 lawsuit.<\/p>\n \u201cHippos are vulnerable to overexploitation due to their low reproductive rate, delayed sexual maturity, and dependance on aquatic ecosystems. Listing hippos under the ESA would require an enhancement finding to ensure that imports to the United States do not contribute to further the decline of hippos for imports to continue. It would also generate conservation benefits, such as a much-needed increase in research efforts and funding. As hippos continue to face increasing threats such as climate change, habitat loss and poaching, these measures will be especially important to ensure their survival,\u201d said Madison Miketa, wildlife scientist for Humane Society International, speaking on behalf of HSI and the Humane Society of the United States.<\/p>\n Wild hippos are in a precarious position, with populations declining as much as 20% between 1996 and 2008<\/a>, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Habitat loss and degradation, drought, poaching and the international trade of hippo parts, including their teeth, skulls, ivory, skin and meat, all threaten this keystone species.<\/p>\n \u201cThe iconic hippo deserves better than to be traded as parts and frivolous souvenirs, so I\u2019m relieved these animals will finally get a decision on protections,\u201d said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. \u201cWhile these delightfully chunky creatures at least have a deadline now, overall things are moving too slowly to protect imperiled wildlife. To halt the surging tide of the global extinction crisis, the U.S. needs to dedicate far more resources, so it isn\u2019t just sticking its finger in the dike.\u201d<\/p>\n The United States is the primary driver of demand for hippo products, responsible for nearly half of global imports between 2019 and 2021. At least 3,081 hippos were killed to meet U.S. demand between 2009 and 2018, and the popularity of hippo products has continued.<\/p>\n Hippo parts and products are easy to find and purchase across the United States. An undercover investigation<\/a> by HSI and the HSUS revealed thousands of hippo products for sale on the U.S. market.<\/p>\n The most common items were made from hippo leather \u2014 including belts, shoes and purses \u2014 and from hippo ivory, such as handles on knives and bottle openers and decorative carvings. Vendors also sold hippo hunting trophies, including shoulder mounts (the animal\u2019s head and neck) and teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no mistaking the joy in a child\u2019s eye the first time they lay eyes on a hippo \u2013 whether it\u2019s a cartoon version or an image in a nature documentary. The sad reality, however, is that the species that brings so much joy to so many people is at great risk in part due to demand for \u2018hippo products\u2019 from US consumers,\u201d said Gillian Lyons, director of regulatory affairs for the Humane Society Legislative Fund. \u201cIt is incumbent that the United States steps up to the plate and takes drastic steps to reduce its part in the species\u2019 decline, and we are encouraged that we now have a deadline for that to happen. In the meantime, we will continue to fight this battle\u2014urging the US government to do all it can to restrict the commercial import and sale of hippo parts and products.\u201d<\/p>\n Hippos continue to be killed in the wild to fuel this legal trade, and protections under the Act would help guard hippos against U.S.-fueled exploitation. The protections requested in the petition would substantially restrict the commercial import and sale of hippo parts and products while also promoting public awareness and providing funding to achieve the Act\u2019s conservation goals.<\/p>\n Background:<\/strong><\/p>\n When the Fish and Wildlife Service is petitioned to protect a species under the Endangered Species Act, the law requires the government to make an initial determination within 90 days as to whether the request may be warranted. If the agency determines protections under the Act may be warranted\u2014as it has done for hippos<\/a>\u2014it must then decide within 12 months of the petition\u2019s submission whether to propose those protections.<\/p>\n The International Union for Conservation of Nature classified the common hippopotamus as \u201cvulnerable<\/a>\u201d in 2016, meaning it is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. There may be as few as 115,000 adult hippos remaining in the wild in Africa today, with populations continuing to decline in many range states.<\/p>\n Without the U.S. Endangered Species Act listing, domestic trade within the United States is not regulated at the federal level, and imports of hippo parts and products are not scrutinized under the Act\u2019s strict standards.<\/p>\n Hippos are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, meaning that legal trade in their parts must be controlled to prevent it from threatening their survival. Despite hippos\u2019 inclusion on CITES Appendix II, the species\u2019 conservation status continues to deteriorate, and at the most recent CITES Conference of the Parties, member states\u202ffailed to adopt a proposed revision to hippos\u2019 CITES listing<\/a>\u202fthat would have prohibited all exports of wild specimens for commercial purposes.<\/p>\n Media Contacts:<\/strong>
Megan Mersino: <\/strong>971-718-3829, mmersino@humanesociety.org<\/a>
Tanya Sanerib, Center for Biological Diversity: <\/strong>206-379-7363, tsanerib@biologicaldiversity.org<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n