Gifts for hippopotamus lovers - help the hippopotamus and the pygmy hippo

 

 

There are a number of ways you can support the hippopoptamus and give the hippo lover in your life a hippo gift!

You'll find the common hippopotamus in western, central, eastern and southern parts of Africa.  But African wildilfe are under threat from many pressures, including deforestation & hunting, and the hippopoptamus is just one species whose numbers are dwindling.  Their teeth are in demand as hunters turn to them after the ban on the elephant ivory trade.  In the last 10 years, hippo numbers have declined by 20% and some areas such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and West Africa have seen a particular decrease in numbers. 

The hippopoptamus is one of the largest land animals in the world, weighing up to 3,000kg.  Despite their size, they can run for up to speeds of 30km an hour for very short bursts of time. This is despite the fact they can weigh up to 3,000kg. 

You can adopt a hippopoptamus from the Turgwe Hippo Trust 

The Trust cares for a number of wild African hippos in Zimbabwe.  In 1992, Karen Paolillo's geologist husband was sent to a remote bush camp there.  It was at the time of a severe drought, and karen stepped in to safe the lives of a group of hippos there who were going to die.  Karen raised over £26,000 with the help of the UK charity Care for the Wild to feed them.  You can read the Trust's history here. It is pretty incredible what people can do when they set their minds to it, and their story is inspiring. 

There's a choice of hippos to adopt with lots of info about each one!  The Trust has quite a number of videos on their website showing hippos & other wildlife around their base.  They also have a few goodies and a calendar you can can treat a loved one to. Adopt a hippo for £35 for a year and your gift will play a part in their on-going care.


Do you want to give a Hippo Soft Toy?

This is Hamleys® Hollie Hippo Soft Toy

This is Hamleys® Hollie Hippo Soft Toy, just the thing for cuddles!  Hollie Hippo is 20cm high.  And she comes from Hamleys, the world famous toy shop.  Normally £37, Hollie Hippo is on offer for £27.75.   Find out more from Hamleys here.

This is the Hamleys® Quirky Hippo Soft Toy

And this is Hamleys® Quirky Hippo Soft Toy for £13.50.