Moo Deng Highlights the Plight of Pygmy Hippos

A sassy baby pygmy hippopotamus born at a Thai zoo last summer took the internet by storm in 2024. The attention to Moo Deng and the conditions of her captivity should also shed light on the need for protection of her species — one that humans have nearly wiped off the map.

Listed as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Redlist, the pygmy hippo is a smaller cousin of the semi-aquatic common hippopotamus. Pygmy hippos, native to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire, prefer to spend their days fending off the heat in rivers and swamps before retreating to the forest cover for the cooler evening. Despite the fact that pygmy hippos have very few natural predators, their population levels are dwindling, with an estimated 2-3,000 remaining individuals in the wild. Experts cite deforestation, river pollution, and predation by humans as the reasons for their decline.

As logging in West African forests has increased, so too has fragmentation of the pygmy hippo’s habitat. Demand for timber has bolstered both legal and illegal logging practices in West Africa, increasing deforestation and habitat fragmentation. Growing trends in farming and mining are also dividing forests, leaving fewer sheltered spaces for pygmy hippos to take cover. For the pygmy hippo, habitat fragmentation means increased interactions with humans, as their residence in interior forests has become more accessible via deforested land and logging routes. Because pygmy hippos are smaller than common hippos and their meat is reputed to be more palatable, human predation of wild pygmy hippos has increased.

Although several international laws provide protective measures for pygmy hippos, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the commitment of range states to protect ecosystems through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), these measures do not directly address the surmounting pressures on pygmy hippos and their habitat in West Africa, particularly the threat of human predation and bushmeat consumption. Yet, education and public participation in wild animal protection have largely been left out of the conversation about Moo Deng. Both are necessary to ensure the future of pygmy hippos.

The power of education to support conservation and enhance appreciation for animals as individual beings can inspire action to protect species like the pygmy hippo. Studies have shown that heightened education about conservation issues paired with local empowerment have culminated in local conservation laws and enforcement. Historically, laws like these have restricted hunting practices and reduced human disturbance to the environment, minimizing threats and improving conditions for wild animals.

The work of the Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment (GLA) supports the development of more protective wildlife laws around the world and the training of those charged with enforcing these laws. Recent work has focused on West Africa, including in pygmy hippo range countries, but much more work needs to be done. Through pro bono and low bono projects, GLA provides students an opportunity to develop the practical skills necessary to be the future lawyers and changemakers who will protect pygmy hippos and the many other wild animals who need protection.

About the Author: Ally Grimaldi is the 2024 Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment (GLA) Diehl Fellow. She is a 2024 JD graduate of the Environmental and Animal Law programs at Lewis & Clark Law School. As a student, Ally participated in GLA, the Animal Law Review, and the Women’s Law Caucus. She interned with Phoenix Zones Initiative and worked on a project where she strategized legal pathways for the advancement of a Belmont Report for animal research.

The Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment (GLA) was launched in the fall of 2020 as an innovative collaboration of the Center for Animal Law Studies and the top-ranked Environmental Law Program at Lewis & Clark Law School. GLA champions wild animals and wild spaces around the world. Law students (JD and LLM) actively participate in GLA’s work for academic credit.

The Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) was founded in 2008 with a mission to educate the next generation of animal law advocates and advance animal protection through the law. With vision and bold risk-taking, CALS has since developed into a world-renowned animal law epicenter. CALS’ Alumni-in-Action from 30 countries are making a difference for animals around the world. CALS is a self-funded Center within the law school operating under the Lewis & Clark College 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, and is able to provide these educational opportunities through donations and grants.