Population Status and Habitat Choice of Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious) at Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria

摘要

Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious) are nocturnal animals thought to have an African or Asiatic origin. In African, most hippopotamus are found in rivers throughout the savannah zone and main rivers of forest zone in Central Africa and like any other large mammal, their problems differ from one domain to the other involving human threats, such as habitat destruction, hunting pressure and urbanization. This study was designed to determine the population status and habitat choice of hippopotamus amphibious at Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria using Semi Structural Questionnaires (SSQ), footprints count and direct observation methods. The results indicated that out of the 5 hippopotamus pools mentioned by the respondents, 3 (Mayo Jerandi, Mayo Karamti and Mayo Kam) were observed to be fully functional hovering roughly ±4 individuals. However, the mode of occupancy differed significantly (p<0.05) between the 3 functional pools. Measured footprints suggested the presence of both adults and infants (30x27, 31x28, 32x29 and 33x30 cm). Home range ranges between 102 and 400 m2 and pools were mostly sited in the savannah areas (75%) cutting across the candidate rivers than the forested regions (25%) of the Host Rivers. However, there was no significant difference (p<0.20, n = 102) in the depth of the 4 functional pools. Hippopotamus in the study area spent most of their time with enormous fishes (54.5%) and therefore, susceptible to regular disturbances due to controlled or uncontrolled fishing. Based on the findings from this study, immediate and intensified conservation effort is required through research and protection techniques to reduce or absolutely eradicate further demise.