The baby hippo was scared. Rescue workers found the 1-week-old calf in May. He was in a river in Kenya, a country in Africa. His mother had died.

The workers pulled the calf from the river. Then they called the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The conservation group raises at-risk animals. The team loaded the hippo onto a helicopter. Then they flew him to Sheldrick’s headquarters. They named the hippo Bumpy.

“When he arrived, Bumpy was frightened and missing his mother,” explains Sean Michael. She works at Sheldrick.

But it wouldn’t be long before Bumpy became a happy hippo.

The baby hippo was scared. Rescue workers found the 1-week-old in May. He was in a river in Kenya. That’s a country in Africa. His mother had died.

The workers pulled the calf from the river. Then they called the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The conservation group helps at-risk animals. The team put the hippo in a helicopter. Then they flew him to their headquarters. They named him Bumpy.

“When he arrived, Bumpy was frightened and missing his mother,” says Sean Michael. She works at Sheldrick.

But soon Bumpy would become a happy hippo.

As happy as Bumpy is, the goal is to one day return him to the wild. Like all hippos, Bumpy will face challenges. Hippos have a high risk of becoming extinct. The biggest threat is habitat loss. Human activities like farming and construction have destroyed many of the clean water sources hippos need.

Illegal hunting is a danger too. Some people kill hippos for their meat or teeth.

Thankfully, groups like Sheldrick are working to protect hippos and other animals. Until Bumpy is ready to be released back into the wild, his human caretakers will raise him.

“Animals need people to stand up for them,” says Michael. “Our wild friends need a place on our planet too.”

Bumpy is happy here. But the goal is to return him to the wild. Like all hippos, Bumpy will face challenges.

Hippos have a high risk of becoming extinct. The biggest threat is habitat loss. Human activities like farming and building destroy the water sources hippos need.

Illegal hunting is a risk too. Some people kill hippos for their meat or teeth.

Thankfully, groups like Sheldrick are working to protect hippos. Until Bumpy can go back into the wild, his caretakers will raise him.

“Animals need people to stand up for them,” says Michael. “Our wild friends need a place on our planet too.”

1. What are some steps the team at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has taken to care for Bumpy?

2. What are some reasons that hippos have a high risk of becoming extinct in the wild?

3. What big goal does the team at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust have for Bumpy?

1. What are some steps the team at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has taken to care for Bumpy?

2. What are some reasons that hippos have a high risk of becoming extinct in the wild?

3. What big goal does the team at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust have for Bumpy?