Common hippopotamus-human conflicts in Ouémé River area in central Benin Republic

The common hippopotamus belongs to the threatened species that urgently need conservation programs. In this perspective, a study on the relationships between the species and human was conducted in areas surrounding the Oueme River in Benin. This study aims to assess the types of damages caused by hippopotamus and conflict mitigation solutions- in order to facilitate pacific cohabitation between hippopotamus and human. A total of 180 people were interviewed in 6 villages using structured and semi-structured interviews. Our results indicated that the main damage caused by common hippopotamus was crops raiding (81.67 % respondents). Most respondents (53.89 %) declared that hippopotamus caused damage to their crops in farmland during the whole year, but period for raids varied significantly between villages (χ2= 57.926, p < 0.0001). This study highlights the necessity to implement mitigation measures in order to promote pacific cohabitation between hippo and human.