Ivory Coast seeks to protect endangered pygmy hippos

He’s small, cute and viral: the baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng, housed in a Thai zoo, has become the star of millions of posts, memes and videos around the world. But in the wild, the pygmy hippopotamus is on the brink of extinction. Of the 2,500 remaining specimens, the majority live in Taï National Park in Ivory Coast, the largest – and one of the last – primary forests in West Africa. A diverse reserve stretching over 4,500 kilometres, its territory is endangered by numerous threats, including illegal gold panning. FRANCE 24’s Julia Guggenheim, Damien Koffi and Tom Canetti report.