PARTNER(S) & SUPPORTER(S):

  • Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS)
  • Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals (IBREAM), University of Utrecht, the Netherlands
  • University of Pretoria, South Africa
  • Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves, Côte d'Ivoire
  • Université Félix Houphouet-boigny, Côte d'Ivoire
  • University of Neuchatel, Switzerland
  • The WildGenes Programme of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland


BRIEF DESCRIPTION
The Project deals with the conservation of the largest Pygmy Hippo population in the wild. The project is lead by experienced nationals and embedded in a strong institution. The project's strategy consists in building the capacities of young conservationists and educating school kids to take future leadership in the conservation of these elusive animals. Collaboration is also seeked with governmental and international institution for complementary actions.


The Research component lays on the recruitment of local and foreign Msc or PhD students from different disciplines : Ecology, Physiology, Genetics, Social sciences...Most research activities are conducted in the Tai national Park. One major challenge in that Park is to determine the exact number of individuals.

The main activity of the Education component is the organization of the Hippo day every year at the periphery of the Tai National Park. This is a kind of festival with school kids comprising drawing contests, sport, video display, parades...The project has also collaborated with film makers to produce educational videos.


Progress in 2020

On behalf of the pygmy hippo team of Côte d'Ivoire, we said that in 2020 we had to look for funding and write a scientific article by a master student on the feeding regime of the pygmy hippo in the Taï National Park. Normally the research and awareness raising activities should be done in the course of 2021.