World Hippo Day is observed every year on February 15 to remember the hippopotamus which are reportedly declining in population. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed them as "vulnerable species" in 2006.
World Hippo Day aims to celebrate and value these mud-loving mammals, in the hope that they will be around for many years to come. It also focuses to raise awareness about the illegal trading of these animals as hunting and poaching of hippos, both for their meat and ivory teeth, is a major threat to the species.
These days there are only two types, says reports stating them to be - the bog-standard hippopotamus and smaller pygmy hippopotamus, but a few other extinct species could be found across Europe and in Madagascar as little as 1,000 years ago. Hippos are most common in countries such as Zambia and Tanzania.
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