Hippos are listed as vulnerable and face increasing threats from illegal trade in their teeth (hippo ivory) and from habitat loss. Poaching for teeth has accelerated following elephant ivory bans as demand shifts to hippo products.
Hippos killed for their teeth by poachers are shot, sometimes without clean kills, causing prolonged suffering. Hippos in degraded habitats with insufficient aquatic resources face chronic heat stress as they depend on water for thermoregulation. Social groups disrupted by poaching lose the dominance structure that regulates access to water and mates, creating additional stress. The shift in illegal trade demand from elephants to hippos represents an emerging welfare crisis.