A dead hippo that succumbed to thirst and starvation in Aweil – Northern Barh el Ghazel, - June 2020 | credit | Courtesy

A group of young people in Aweil have come to the rescue of the remaining hippos in the area after one died of starvation weeks ago.

The young people in Northern Bahar El Ghazal state mobilized people to collect grass from far areas to feed to mammals.

Two weeks ago, one Hippopotamus died near Aweil town due to suspected hunger and thirst.

A hippopotamus mainly feeds on plants with the majority of their diet consisting of short grasses and fruits.

They love swampy areas and only come to the dry land in search of pasture.

John Bol Angok told Eye Radio on Tuesday that he is leading an initiative to mobilize support for the remaining two hippos in the area.

“The situation was bad at the beginning before the other one died but we the youth in Aweil, we have taken the initiative to ask individuals to contribute some money from well-wishers,” Bol said.

“Some people have contributed one thousand, two thousand, and we collected those amounts and bought the grass. So we have almost 47 bags filled with grass, and we will be supplying it every day.”

“Some women are collecting it [the pasture] from the swamps, and sell it to owners of donkey carts. So we are buying it from them [donkey cart owners] to feed Hippopotamus because this is what they can eat.”

The residents of Aweil had requested the government to rescue or relocate the hippos to wet areas to save them from being extinct in Northern Bahr el Ghazal.

The Wildlife Conservation Society recently called on the stakeholders to reflect on the need to protect the environment and start looking at concrete action to address any environmental issues.