Hippos on the rampage in Niani

Hippopotami destroyed all the rice nursery beds at Jabe rice fields in Niani District, Central River Region North last weekend, according to information gathered by this reporter.

The nursery beds were prepared for seedlings for the dry season rice cultivation. Niani is one of the major rice growing areas in the country, but over the past years, damages caused by hippos have created a great setback for rice cultivation in the region. Samba Chumeh Bah, a victim, told Daily Observer’s Janjangbureh correspondent that all their nurseries have been destroyed by the hippos. He explained that the nusery beds were at the transplanting stages when they were destroyed by the hippos. He expressed frustration over what he described as an unbearable loss, noting that they are now without seeds.

He appealed for assistance to avoid a failed cropping season. He also appealed to the government, individuals, NGOs and charitable organisations to come to their aid. Pierre Bah, the chief of Niani, appealed to the Department of Parks and Wildlife to help them resolve the hippo issue. He explained that the rice fields destroyed by the hippos serve as sources of livelihood for the people of his district.