Ban the trade in Hippopotamus teeth from Africa

Hippopotamus teeth are becoming a common their incisors and canines are easier to smuggle; they are also much cheaper and easily used in the sculpture industry. Hong Kong is the hub of this traffic. Hippopotamus ivory is in high demand, although this information is not particularly known to the general public.

Rare and sought after, ivory has become a sign of wealth and social status; with many believing that holding an ivory object is a symbol of high rank in society to the point that a real-worldwide - including in Europe - has emerged. At the expense of species that naturally have this popular material?

For their greatest misfortune, other ivory-producing animals are also of interest to poachers. Especially since the devices to protect African elephants have proliferated around the world. This is the case for example wild boars, walruses, narwhals and hippos.

The latter are particularly affected by this lucrative business. Already hunted for its skin and meat, the hippopotamus is also the target of ivory poachers who find in his teeth an alternative to the illegal hunting of the elephant, very much watched by ecoguards.

In the midst of rhinoceros horns, pangolins scales and elephant tusks, hippopotamus teeth are thus increasingly part of customs seizures in Asia. This is revealed by the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF).

Hippopotamus teeth are becoming a common finding, notes the International Organization for the Protection of Nature in Africa. Not only are their incisors and canines easier to smuggle, but they are much cheaper and easily used in the sculpture industry.

The vast majority are exported from Africa to Hong Kong. A study published in 2017 claims that more than 90% of the world trade in hippo teeth exported between 1975 and 2016 was destined for Hong Kong. Nearly three quarters of this ivory came from only two East African countries - Tanzania and Uganda - but trade with Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe is also on the rise.

In total since 1975, 771,000 kilos of hippopotamus ivory have been traded internationally. But this traffic could be of even greater magnitude. Indeed, surveys have shown that discrepancies exist between the quantities of ivory declared for export in Africa and those on entry into Hong Kong. "In most transactions, Hong Kong declares an import volume greater than the volume declared for export," note the biologists of the University of Hong Kong.

On the only trade with Uganda, the difference amounts to more than 14 000 kilos. This represents 2,700 animals killed in addition to CITES- authorized quotas, representing 2% of the total African hippopotamus population.

Demand could grow further with the entry into force in 2021 of the ban on trade in elephant ivory in Hong Kong.

Despite all these threats, hippos find little support internationally. Involved each year in many conflicts with humans, these large animals are indeed often considered embarrassing, which does not promote the emergence of regulations for their protection.

Zambia - where 87% of the species Hippopotamus amphibious lives - announced in 2016 the establishment of a regulatory plan aimed at the slaughter of 2,000 hippopotamuses.

However, the species is threatened and classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as is the African elephant. There are only 115,000 to 130,000 individuals left in the wild and there are many dangers to their future Disappearance of their habitat and hunting in mind.

Wildlife advocates want Hong Kong to extend the ban on ivory trade to hippo ivory and that stricter regulations are made in the countries concerned. Currently, only Uganda has totally banned trade in hippo teeth, although the black market has remained very high since the 2014 moratorium.

"Without stricter trade regulations, hippopotamus exploitation will continue unabated until it is too late for people to recover," warns AWF.