Thank goodness!  The Zambian Government has done an about-turn on its plan to cull over a thousand hippos in the Luangwa Valley.

There had been increasing international pressure for the Zambian Government to justify why such a cull should take place.  The National Association of Community Resources Board in Zambia had also called for the cull to be reversed.  Born Free say local community representatives had also been against the cull. 

Hippos across Africa are under more and more pressure – there are only 115,000 to 130,000 of them left, and the IUCN lists them as “Vulnerable”.

There has been a lot of effort to end the elephant ivory trade – and now hippos are being targeted more and more for their ivory instead.

We must do more to stop such exports.  And to stop trophy hunting in the first place.

Born Free say they remain committed to working with the Zambian Government "to help secure a future of peaceful and prosperous co-existence between Zambia’s wildlife and its people."

For more info from Born Free, click here