The African hippo is an enormous mammal of raw, charging power. And with a bite force of 1800 pounds, capturing this dangerous beast is the ultimate challenge. What’s it take for wildlife experts to catch and relocate a 3,000-pound bull hippo?
Mastering a way to sedate and capture a hippo might offer a solution to reintroducing these animals to parts of Africa where they’ve been wiped out. Hippos once had a broader distribution and, overall, hippo numbers appear to be decreasing or becoming more fragmented in much of the continent (particular West African nations). Hippos live in groups – called schools – and in the wild, these social units tend to be smaller due to less available habitat and an increase of human populations. According to the National Wildlife Federation, hippo poaching is on the rise for their prized ivory teeth and trendy meat. The hippo species may soon be one of Africa’s endangered animals, as the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species currently categorizes the hippopotamus as “vulnerable.”
The only way for scientists to get close to a wild hippo is by using a powerful sedative. The standard practice for relocating large terrestrial mammals is by shooting it with a tranquilizer and following the animal until the drug kicks in. But dart a hippo, and there’s the danger he’ll retreat to water and possibly drown.
So wildlife experts – like biologist Brady Barr – are on a mission to devise a way to safely capture a hippo with a net on land. They’ll track the wild animal, launch a net from a helicopter, and sedate it as soon as it’s tangled in the net.
But it won’t be easy… Hippos spend as much as 16 hours a day submerged in water. They can hold their breath for up to five minutes and only leave the river at certain times of the time (such as to graze on grasses). So the wildlife team will have to track a hippo and wait for the perfect moment when the hippo is out in the open and away from water. Then they’ll make their move…
Find out what happens when Brady Barr and his team attempt to capture a 3,000-pound bull hippo in Malawi. Watch Dangerous Encounters: To Catch a Hippo TONIGHT at 9 PM et/pt on Nat Geo Wild!
VIDEO PREVIEW: Did you know that biologist Brady Barr has been terrified of hippos for much of his life? Check out this video clip of Brady’s first hippo encounter!