Hippo : The Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary
 
The Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary is located in Ghana, West Africa, is a leading edge example of how conservation can work for animals, the land and people. The goal of the sanctuary is to preserve hippos.
 
The Problem
There is intense pressure on the remaining populations of hippos in much of West Africa. There are only two remaining populations of hippos in Ghana, one of which exists along the Black Volta river. However, at one time much of the land along the river banks in this area was used for dry-season farming. This resulted in increased competition for the hippos' natural grazing grounds. In addition, hippos were sometimes killed by villagers trying to protect their fishing nets, canoes, and farms, and hunters who occasionally killed them for meat. If those trends were not reversed, hippos would disappear from this habitat.

The Solution
The solution to the hippos’ problems came in the form of a sanctuary which is approximately 40 kilometres long and about two kilometres wide. The idea of developing this area as a park or sanctuary came from the chiefs of the Wechiau community, who had approached the Ghanaian Government in Accra, for permission to develop their hippo sanctuary. Eventually the Calgary Zoo learned of the project and since 1996 has been providing assistance to help the Ghanaians bring their vision to life.

A sacred forested island in the river serves as a natural safe haven for a myriad of bird species and other animals. Local culture restricts human use of the island so its vegetation has remained pristine. Hippos give birth, hiding their young in the maze of flooded streams during the wet season. This natural sanctuary gave the project a good starting point, but in order to save the hippos a plan needed to be developed that focused on the needs of the people as well.

Creating a hippo sanctuary of this size would naturally require changes to the way people used the river and the area being considered for the sanctuary.

Part of the solution came with the decision to relocate a number of villages and farms inland. To do this it was necessary to dig new wells, build new houses and make other changes. All of these things required money.

The goal of the sanctuary is to preserve the hippos and their exceptionally rich riverine habitat while helping the local people benefit from the sanctuary through sustainable eco-tourism.

The Calgary Zoo was able to provide funding and the assistance of a full-time employee to get the process started. The energy and determination of the local people has kept things moving steadily forward.

The Results
The Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary was established in 1996. Since then, approximately a dozen full-time jobs have been created to run the sanctuary and to support eco-tourism and eco-research activities in the region. These jobs include: guides, park wardens, cooks and maintenance staff. Improvements to the area include a new village and eco-tourism centre and a new school called the Heather Graham Primary School. Three new water wells have already been drilled and plans for developing three more are underway. These wells provide clean drinking water for over two thousand people. Before the wells were drilled, people were forced to drink water from the Black Volta River, which is infected with guinea worm, a parasitic disease causing crippling infections if left untreated. Another important part of the project is the Wechiau Lighting Initiative, a plan to provide up to 550 solar powered lights. Almost half of the units have been installed so far. The project is sponsored by Canadian Hydro, a company based in Calgary, Alberta and uses lighting units designed by the Light Up the World Foundation based out of the University of Calgary. In all, approximately 10,000 people living in the hippo sanctuary area have benefited from this project. We have heard that in some locations new lights have resulted in celebrations involving drumming and dancing. In some instances, school children have been found asleep beneath solar lights in the early morning, their papers and notebooks scattered around them.

Development of new businesses are also underway. For instance, local craftspeople are making and selling hippo-related crafts. To give eco-tourists mobility, a new bicycle rental business has been started. Development of a new education program that travels around to local areas and offers information about the hippo sanctuary and its value to the area is also underway. Exchange visits between Wechiau and Calgary have been very positive for the project. Calgarians have learned first hand about the challenges facing the people living in Ghana. Bringing the chiefs to Calgary – so far, they have made two separate visits - has allowed so many more Calgarians to become aware of the project and support it.

Conclusions
When you read the history of this conservation project, it is very evident that there is a lot involved in trying to help a habitat or a species. In trying to do either, it becomes necessary to view the problems and solutions in a way that takes into account the animal, the other animals in the area, the habitat, the economy and the various uses and users of the habitat. The Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary has been successful because it has taken all of these factors into account.