Crocodiles and lions are scary, but they’re not the main cause of concern for baby — or adult — hippos. The biggest threat to this species is, you guessed it, humans.
Hippopotamuses only live in Africa, and their numbers are dwindling enough to have them be declared regionally extinct in Algeria, Egypt and Mauritania. Habitat loss due to overdevelopment and human-made pollution is the primary cause of this. Poaching is another problem, given the large demand for ivory, which can be found in their teeth.
It’s rare for baby hippos to be poached since their teeth are smaller, but they do suffer from an encroaching lack of habitat caused by our activities.
