Tuesday, May 24, 2022 - Paulé- Oula - Tai Region 

The children of the locality Paulé-Oula will remember for a long time this day of Tuesday May 24, 2022. 

Indeed, it is this village located in the region of Taï which hosted the 2022 Edition of the Pygmy Hippopotamus Day, initiated by the Pygmy Hippopotamus Conservation Program in Côte d'Ivoire. This program is a collaborative project between the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS) and IBREAM (Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals). The project leaders are Prof. Inza Koné, Dr. Karim Ouattara, teacher-researcher at UFHB and head of the research group on Conservation and Valorization of Natural Resources (CVRN) at the Swiss Center for Scientific Research in Côte d'Ivoire, and Dr. Monique Paris. In addition to these, the team includes Dr. Elie BOGUI Bandama, coordinator, teacher-researcher at the University of Man and Communication Officer of the CVRN group, and Mr. DIGBEU Hermann, doctoral student of the Hippo Taï Project. They were able to show creativity to gather children and adults around the protection of this endangered animal. The pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) (Morton, 1849) is a rare and endangered species (IUCN, 2007) whose habitat is limited to the Upper Guinean Forest of West Africa. This habitat has been greatly reduced by massive deforestation and agriculture as well as illegal mining. This shy forest animal lives in an area of 5,000 km² in West Africa, with the Taï National Park in Côte d'Ivoire as its last real stronghold in the wild. Fewer than 3,000 individuals were recorded in 1994, but given current pressures, their numbers are likely to be much lower. The risk of extinction is great and there is a lack of capacity and coordinated conservation strategy. Through outreach activities with schools, the aim is to engage local communities, especially children, who educate themselves and their parents about the forest, the animals that live there and the vital role they play in the future of the local community, with a particular focus on the pygmy hippo.

The 2022 edition was made possible, thanks to and in collaboration with:

- The Ivorian Office of Parks and Reserves (OIPR), in particular the South-West direction in charge of the Taï National Park;

- The Inspection of Primary Education of Taï;

- And the Zoo of Mulhouse, main donor, which on this project has set up a partnership with the Zoological Reserve of Calviac and Bioparc Conservation.

Judging by the enthusiasm around this day and the very high attendance with more than 300 children present who chanted during the parade "Hippo! We must protect them!", we can say that the bet is won. Various activities followed one another during the day: a "budding genius" contest, a dance contest, a soccer match for boys, a girls' handball match and a drawing contest. The children were dedicated, outdid themselves and above all had a lot of fun while learning about the pygmy hippopotamus, its way of life, the dangers that threaten it and the need to protect it. Awareness was raised and the pygmy hippo gained ambassadors and advocates.

The last edition of the Pygmy Hippo Day was held in 2018 in the locality of PONAN. The program team hopes, especially in light of this 2022 edition, that the next one will be held in 2023!

AK/Celcom