This May, Zambia is opening hunting season on hippos living along the Luangwa River. The government claims the area is overpopulated and that it's necessary to cull the animals by at least 2,000.
Though hippos are not endangered, with fewer than 130,000 living in the wild, they are considered "vulnerable;" poachers and habitat destruction leave their future questionable. Zambian leaders have refused calls to spare the hippos' lives by moving them to countries where the population is sparser.
That's probably because Zambia government officials stand to collect over $3 million (US) in trophy hunting fees by putting them up for slaughter. Research suggests that culls just cause hippos to reproduce more quickly to replenish their numbers, so the real incentive for this cull is probably the money.
Zambia has already postponed this cull for years following activist outcry, so it seems possible we could make this happen again. Sign this petition to let Zambia know the world's eyes are watching this planned hunt and that you demand it be cancelled.
