Hippopotamuses Census in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Hippopotamuses Census in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Uganda is home to one of the largest populations of hippopotamuses in Africa and these massive animals are known for their semi-aquatic lifestyle, spending much of their day submerged in water to keep cool, emerging mainly at night to graze on grass.

Hippopotamuses census in Queen Elizabeth National Park, are primarily found in places like the Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Mburo National Park In fact, Hippos in Uganda is a fascinating sight and the hippopotamuses in Uganda is because Uganda’s rich biodiversity, combined with its various wetlands and rivers, provides a great habitat for hippos.

In this article we get to learn more about the Hippopotamuses census in Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is an amazing research activity that is carried out in only Queen Elizabeth National Park involving the counting of all visible hippo heads in all the water bodies within the park; Lake Edward, Lake George, Kazinga channel, the different river and craters.

Before the Hippopotamuses census, the census team conducts training on how the activity will be conducted in order for all that is to percipient get to have knowledge about these endangered species because as they may look docile, hippos are quite territorial and can be surprisingly aggressive, making them one of the more dangerous animals in Africa.

The safari activity is done in various ways such as; aerial surveys, boat counts, and direct observations along riverbanks. The team is required to have items such as; Binoculars which are required in order to focus and get clear counting of the hippos. Datasheet record to fill in the counts of the hippos and capture all numbers, a camera to take pictures of the Hippopotamuses

The Hippopotamuses census is best done in the morning hours before the sun is out and it can be conducted by 2 or more people. The activity is done every 2 years and Recent estimates suggest that Uganda is home to tens of thousands of hippos, with specific populations concentrated in protected areas such as Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park.

While on the Hippopotamuses census in the Park, there are specialized researchers who count all visible Hippopotamuses heads when reaching any Hippopotamuses school along the shorelines. And then the observer announces the number to the person in charge of records.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the only park with experimental/ research activities such as the Hippopotamuses census. The other experimental activities include; lion tracking and banded mongoose tracking. Some of the tourist activities here include a boat cruise at Kazinga channel, a game drive hot air balloon, chimpanzee trekking at Kyambura gorge or Kalinzu forest, and bird watching.

For any inquiries about the Hippopotamuses census in Queen Elizabeth National Park, reach out to Achieve Global Safaris for an immediate response and itinerary about any kind of safari in Uganda and bookings.