hippos in the water

Human-hippo conflicts are exploding in this pristine patch of Kenya

Floods and the economic fallout from COVID-19 are pitting hungry fishermen against hungry hippos—with deadly results.

Hippos soak in Lake Naivasha in part of a nature conservancy called Sanctuary Farm that was once dry land. Heavy rains have caused the lake to rise. Now fishermen and hippos share the swampy shorelines, leading to an increase in hippo attacks, which are often deadly. Hippos are mostly docile but can become aggressive when they feel threatened. They kill about 500 people a year in Africa, biting them with teeth that can be a foot and a half long.

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