Hippos are semi-aquatic megafauna whose welfare is increasingly threatened by habitat loss, drought, human conflict, and the illegal ivory trade in their distinctive teeth.
Wild hippo welfare is shaped by their absolute dependence on water. Droughts — increasingly severe with climate change — concentrate hippos in shrinking water bodies where overcrowding causes injury, disease, and starvation. Mass mortality events in drought-reduced pools have documented hundreds of hippo deaths with significant suffering. Territorial aggression between males causes serious wounds including deep gashes from their razor-sharp canine teeth. Human-hippo conflict occurs when hippos leave water at night to graze on agricultural land — farmers kill hippos protecting crops, often with methods causing prolonged suffering. Illegal hunting for ivory teeth has increased significantly as elephant ivory crackdowns redirected demand. Water body conservation and human-wildlife conflict mitigation are the primary welfare interventions.