Hippos are among the unique wildlife species one cannot fail to see on a Uganda wildlife safari expedition. 
These land and water dwellers are among the largest land mammals on the planet getting the 2rd position after elephants. Hippos are close relatives of whales and spend most of their time in water and it’s where they reproduce. The word hippopotamus is a Greek word meaning a water horse and yes its true hippos can be termed as water horses because of their much love for staying in water.
These animals can be viewed in various lakes and rivers in Uganda’s national parks and they include
Queen Elizabeth National Park
This park is located in western Uganda and has the highest hippo concentration in Uganda and Africa. The hippos in this national park can be seen along the Kazinga channel that connects lake Edward to lake George and also around Ntungwe River in the Ishasha sector.
The channel banks have lots of fresh grasses that attract a number of hippos around and tourists on boat rides will definitely see these amazing animals grazing on the pasture as some of them bounce in the waters of the channel banks.
Back in the 1990s, there were massive hippo populations around the Kazinga channel but the local people around the area hunted them for ivory and meat. The reduction in the hippo population was also caused by deaths resulting from a lot of waste disposal into the Kazinga channel from Mweya safari lodge.
Though the hippo numbers increased over the years, their population today is still lesser than it was in the 1960’s.
Lake Mburo National Park
Also located in western Uganda, the park has a number of hippo pods (families) that can be viewed by tourists on boat rides along the shores of lake Mburo. The numbers here are not as much as in queen Elizabeth national park however getting a chance to view them here is better than nothing.
Murchison Falls National Park
This is the second after queen Elizabeth with the highest hippo population in Uganda. Hippos in this national park can be seen relaxing on the riverbanks of the great river Nile. There is a launch that provides rides to tourists along the river and even up to the bottom the splendid Murchison falls. While on the ride, the tourists get great views of the water dwellers hippos inclusive.
Hippos in Murchison falls national park can also be seen downriver towards lake albert.
Semuliki National Park
This national park is located in western Uganda towards Democratic Republic of Congo and has a reasonable number of hippos along the Semuliki River. Tourists on boat rides along the river can view them on the riverbanks relaxing in water and some feeding on the green soft pastures.
All tourists on Uganda wildlife safaris should not miss out to view these animals and can only be able to see them by including any of the above-mentioned national parks on their travel itinerary.
Facts About Hippos
- They are 3rd heaviest animals in the world after elephants and rhinos. A fully-grown hippo can weigh about 3 tons.
- They are herbivores and always leave the water to look for grass around and eat a lot about 75 kilograms a day
- Despite their weight and size, they are faster than human beings while running and can run about 30 kilometers per hour on land
- They are semi aquatic animals capable of living and surviving both on land and in water. While on land, they feed on grass and then get back into the water where they spend most of their time shielding themselves away from the hot sun.
- Though hippos spend most of their time in water, they cannot swim maybe because of their big size and having no fins to flap the water. Hippos instead keep bouncing of the water bottom and this explains why they mainly live in shallow water especially near the riverbanks.
- The normal hippos life span ranges from between 40 to 50 years however a hippo physically stops growing at the age of 25.
- Because they spend most of their time in water, they mate and reproduce from there.
- Male hippos are called bulls and females called cows while their young ones are called calves.
- Just like most mammals, hippos live in groups of close relatives (male, female and the calves) called pods and they are led and guarded by the dominant males.
- Hippos are very dangerous and strong animals capable of killing. Sadly, most people see them as a little harmless and yet on encounter, they can easily trample an adult human being to death. In Africa, hippos are actually reported to have more killings than the kings of the jungle-lions.
- Human being poachers are major threats to the hippos because they kill them for ivory. Some people just hunt them down because of their threat especially around fishing villages.