Zambia has revived plans it suspended two years ago after protests by animal rights activists for the controlled slaughter of up to 2,000 hippos over the next five years, its tourism minister said.

Although its size makes it fearsome looking, the hippo is often one of the most underrated animals in Africa in terms of its fearless and potentially bad-tempered nature. Hippos rank as one of the largest animals in Africa and are not known for their sunny dispositions, causing more human deaths in Africa annually than lions, leopards, crocodiles, or any other of the major predators.

Katavi National Park has a hippo problem, and according to news sources Tanzanian President John Magufuli has ordered Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) to undertake a radical approach to addressing the issue.

Male hippopotamuses are an unusual size. Among mammals, males are usually much larger than females, but in hippos the sexes have surprisingly similar sized bodies. All except the jaws and tusks, which are much bigger in males.

The iconic hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) isn’t known for keeping its mouth shut. The giant semiaquatic mammals make a “wheeze honk” with members of their social group that can be heard more than 1 kilometer away.

It was just before the arrival of the rains in the South African Lowveld, when the heat seems relentless.