A herder was killed by a Hippopotamus in the Niamina East District of The Gambia on the morning of Sunday 12 April 2026. Dawda Jallow, from Brikama Ba in Fulladu West District, had walked to the area with a mixed herd of Cattle and Goats. He reportedly encountered the Hippopotamus, a female who had recently given birth and was defending a calf, while searching in long grass for some missing Goats.
Farmers in the area have raised concerns about the local Hippopotamus population, which they feel is becoming increasingly dangerous, with the Department of Parks and Wildlife. While this is the first reported Human death in the region, there have been a series of attacks on Cattle, with four Cows recently killed within the space of a month.
While Hippos can appear benign to people unfamiliar to them, they are generally considered to be one of the most dangerous Animals in Africa, and probably the world. Hippopotamuses are the largest land Mammals after Elephants and Rhinoceroses, as well as being the closest terrestrial relatives of Whales. Adult Hippos typically weigh about 1.4 tonnes (males tend to be slightly larger than females, but this is marginal, and the sex of Hippos can be hard to differentiate). Hippos can open their mouths to almost 110°, and their jaws are highly muscled, allowing them to slap there mouths shut abruptly, driving canine and incisor teeth that can be 50 cm long into anything which offends them. This weapon is primarily used in intraspecific fights particularly between the males, which are highly territorial. However, they are also notoriously aggressive towards other species, particularly Humans, possibly as a result as having evolved alongside Pliocene and Pleistocene hunting Hominids. Hippopotamuses tend to stay in the water during the day, lowering the threat they present to Humans, but come out of the water to graze at night, when they are generally considered to be at their most dangerous.
Hippopotamus are listed as Vulnerable under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, with a global population of 115 000-130 000 individuals, spread across most of Sub-Saharan Africa. The species is considered to be threatened by human activities, including expanding urban development along waterways, the loss of feeding grounds to agriculture (Hippopotamus spend most of their time in water, but feed principally on land), damming rivers and other waterway modifications, and hunting, with illegal poaching becoming a problem in many areas as their teeth are used as a substitute for Elephant ivory.
As a protected species, Hippopotamuses are strictly protected by Gambian law, and cannot be killed. However, the aggressive nature of these animals often brings them into conflict with local Human populations, particularly farmers and herders. Local community representatives have been asking authorities to consider options which balance the need to conserve wildlife with that to protect Human lives and livelihoods, with some suggesting that a relocation program might be possible.
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