The Pygmy Hippo Story: West Africa’s Enigma of the Rainforest

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    The Pygmy Hippo Story: West Africa’s Enigma of the Rainforest Authors: , , Format: Hardback First Published: Published By: Oxford University Press Inc
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    Pages: 436 Illustrations and other contents: 271 Language: English ISBN: 9780190611859 Categories: , , , , , ,

    Though the pygmy hippopotamus has been designated as a flagship species of West African forests (meaning that by raising conservation efforts for a single species, an entire ecological region could benefit), very little research has been published on the animal. They are solitary, nocturnal, and skittish, and until recent developments in “camera trap” technology, they were considered the least-photographed large mammal species in the world. The information currently available on this endangered species is scattered, limited, redundant, and often inaccurate, and no major volume exists as a resource for those interested in the conservation effort for the species, until now. Philip Robinson and his coauthors provide a treatment of the natural history, biology, and ecology of the pygmy hippo, along with a discussion of the rare animal’s taxonomic niche and a summary of its research initiatives up to this point. The authors show the ways in which the pygmy hippo has come into contact with people in West African countries, both in terms of ecological impact and cultural: the creature has been the subject of local folktales, and is treated as almost mythic by some regions. Information on issues related to captivity, breeding, and zoos will be provided. The book is heavily illustrated with original photographs and anatomic drawings. The project should be of use to conservation biologists and zoologists, and will be the definitive single-volume account of an animal that the scientific community has designated to be ecologically significant to West Africa.

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    Overall, this book is the most up-to-date scientific and most comprehensive book about pygmy hippos. The combination with the personal experiences and challenges of scientific and conservation work is quite unique. Therefore, not only people who are interested in hippos should read it but also those who are generally interested in the Upper Guinean forests, their social troubles, armed conflicts and in vivid descriptions and adventures of scientists. Hopefully the book will help to raise interest in these forests and the enigmatic and cute but endangered Pygmy Hippos living in them! * Thiemo Braasch, Suiform Soundings Newsletter of the IUCN * This book fills an important gap in the monographic treatment of African large mammals... a delightful mixture of natural and cultural history, reviewing facts, folklore, and fiction surrounding this little-known species, organized into 5 parts and 33 chapters. * Jan Decher, The Journal of Mammalogy * The Pygmy Hippo Story is not your classic monolithic and scientifically detached monograph of single species research [...] It is a highly informative and passionate call for attention and action that something very unique may be irreversibly disappearing in West Africa. The authors leave us with an afterword [...] wherein they conclude that [t]he forecast for the pygmy hippo is clearly pessimistic, but not entirely hopeless if things change very soon. There is, however, keen competition in the information and misinformation wars that are now being waged between true scientists and special interests, such as the carbon industry climate science deniers. * Jan Decher, Journal of Mammalogy * [...] When it comes to species for which little is known, particularly one as vulnerable as the pygmy hippopotamus, any account is valuable and this is no exception. What is striking is that the vast majority of the content focuses on the history and the sociopolitical aspects of the region where this species calls home, and documents the authors efforts to study and protect the pygmy hippopotamus from extinction. * Jennifer L. Verdolin, The Quarterly Review of Biology * This book, written by Phillip T. Robinson, Gabriella L. Flacke and Knut M. Hentschel is the first monograph of West Africa's enigma of the rainforest. It presents the most comprehensive description of this species...Hopefully the book will help to raise interest in these forests and the enigmatic...pygmy hippos living in them! * Thiemo Braasch, Suiform Soundings *

    Author Biography

    Philip T. Robinson, MS, DVM, DACZM, is board certified in zoological medicine and currently serves as the Director of the Department of Laboratory Animal Resources at the University of Toledo. He was formerly the chief veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo. Knut Hentschel, MS, PhD is now retired after a long career of research and conservation efforts, notably in Africa. After completing his PhD at the University of Braunschweig, Germany in 1990, Hentschel dedicating twenty years to positions in Uganda, Central African Republic, and the Ivory Coast. Gabriella Flacke, DVM, MS has lived and worked in Southern Africa where she served as clinical veterinarian for both the KwaZulu-Natal African Wild Dog Conservation and Reintroduction Programme in South Africa and the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Otjiwarongo, Namibia. She has recently completed her PhD at the University of Western Australia, where her research focused on pygmy hippo health, reproduction, and conservation. She is now working as an associate veterinarian at Zoo Miami.