The Elusive Pygmy Hippopotamus

When we think of a hippopotamus, we usually visualize the massive water creature with the face that resembles Richard Nixon's. That is the Nile hippopotamus. This tape looks at its cousin, the pygmy hippopotamus, a shy and generally solitary creature that is presently found only in West Africa and select zoos. Taped at the Sacramento Zoo and Singapore Zoological Gardens, this program gives viewers a close-up look at the animals--which are endangered due to habitat loss and being hunted for food, tooth ivory, and shamanistic purposes--from both above and under water. Interestingly, most American pygmy hippos are captively bred descendants of an animal given to President Calvin Coolidge in 1927. The "plot" of the tape centers around a girl dreaming that her dad takes her on a safari. While the videography is top-notch and the factual information solid, the tape falls flat due to the student narration, which sounds wooden, disinterested, and a little embarrassed. Given the trouble that went into the taping and editing, it's a shame that a professional narrator was not hired to pull everything together. However, given the price, the tape is still worth consideration for libraries with larger nature/wildlife collections. Aud: P. (R. Reagan)