Hippos face intense pressure from habitat loss, hunting for meat and ivory, and conflict with farmers as their wetland habitats shrink.
Hippos injured in human-wildlife conflict may suffer from gunshot wounds and trap injuries for prolonged periods before death. Animals displaced from wetlands by human encroachment experience stress and nutritional deficiency. In drought conditions, hippos crowd into shrinking water sources causing competition, injury, and disease transmission. Mass mortalities from anthrax and other diseases cause significant acute suffering in affected populations.