Every year, February 15th is celebrated as "World Hippo Day". Of course, Hippopotamus, the world's 3rd largest mammal deserves a day. The blue whale and the African elephant are the only two mammals in the world that are larger than the hippopotamus.
It’s easy to assume that hippos would be related to elephants and rhinos. However, DNA evidence has shown that hippos are the closest relatives of whales. Maybe that's the reason, Greeks named them hippo, which means "river horse". They love water. On an average day, they spend 16 hours in water. They mate and give birth in the water.
Hippos are native to Africa. These herbivores live up to 50 years in the wild. There are only two species of hippos on the planet. These include the common hippopotamus and the pygmy hippo.
Predators of the hippo include hyenas, lions, and crocodiles. But, we, humans are the primary predators. While some hunt hippos for their meat, others hunt them for ivory canine teeth. Due to this, like most other animals, hippos were also classified as vulnerable in 2006 by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Though we don't know why Hippo Day is celebrated on February 15th, let's take a pledge to preserve them.
I usually write something about the stamps I have. But I am very desperate to create awareness to save this giant mammal. It's a shame that I don't have even a single Hippo stamp in my collection. If anybody would like to help me with hippo stamps, used or new, it would be appreciated.
The below Pygmy hippo stamp was issued by DDR in the year 1975. I have taken it from the internet.
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