What is killing Uganda's hippos?

[dArKeR]

Hippos in a Ugandan game park are dying of a disease yet to be identified by scientists. Sixty have so far perished in the past two months, wildlife officials said on Tuesday.

"We have been finding the animals dead with saliva oozing out of their mouths. Preliminary results rule out a viral infection but we are not yet sure," said John Bosco Numwe, the chief warden of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The park, a tourist destination that is the second largest of Uganda's eleven game parks and reserves, is home to up to 5 000 hippos, about half the country's total.

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?cg=BreakingNews-Africa&ao=121838

It's got to be Bin Laden and Al Qaeda.

[Jim Sagle]

1. And how the hell did Candy Crowley escape?

[madmax]

2. It's time for you to get

:spank: ;)

[Sindawe]

3. Oooowwww, this could be bad.

Hippos transfer ALOT of organic matter into African waters. Water holes where hippos are abundant are very fecund. Lots of fish, frogs, croccadilians, birds and the like. Water holes where the hippos are gone are pretty much sterile. 'Cept for the algea.

Hmmm...change in climate, changes in types of algea in the water. I don't know if hippos eat the stuff, though they are grazers, eaters of grass. I could see them snacking on algea, and a different type could be toxic.

This bears watching, this could real bad....

[phantom power]

4. this is a big problem with reduced populations

I hate it when I hear people say "hey, we have enough of animal-X". All it takes is for something unexpected to happen. A disease, or natural disaster, and suddenly the population is wiped out.

Same for forests, or other habitats. We reduce the size, and then something unplanned wipes out the rest.