11pm finds this hippo feeding along a narrow strip of savanna bordered by forest and lagoon. Rarely do hippos leave the water during daylight hours, for the heat and sun can lead to dehydration.
It must be difficult and tiring for them to carry their weight when they spend so much time wallowing nearly weightless in the lagoons and rivers. This particular individual was more than 2.5 meters in length and 1.5 meters in height, weighing perhaps in the range of 1500 to 2000 kilograms.
Is it possible to set a camera trap near the beach to catch the hippos surfing?
It is probably not a good idea to set up a camera trap along the beach because of the sand and salt problems. Salt would build up on the lens very quickly and diffuse the image, and both salt and sand would be a big problem, damaging the mechanics and electronics inside the camera.
Also, the hippos would be too far away to trigger the camera, once they were in the sea.
Better to get up early in the morning and go looking for them, or watch for them early evening. They usually do their surfing at night. DK
Great photos David
We drove down to Mayanami a few weeks ago and spotted a hippo sitting in one of the small lagoon lakes managed to get a head shot on the camera was fantastic to see.
The lagoons near Colas seem to have several hippos. I’m guessing this is where you saw yours. We nearly hit one coming home with a friend from late fishing at Colas, where the bridge crosses the stream. For a moment we thought it was planning to charge the car.
Keep up the good work, David!
I am entranced by the photos and your text.
I would dearly love to visit Gabon again, but I guess that will never happen.
Best wishes to yourself and
Lisa from Fay
Fay, I am happy to hear you are entranced. Perhaps this journal will remind you of the paradise you found here. May your memories of Gabon always remain fresh and vivid. DK
david korte photographs 
Leave a Reply