IBREAM - Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals

24/05/2026

On their way now!

24/05/2026

Our IBREAM directors Monique, Thomas, and Simon are on their way to Ivory Coast!

Monique: "I can't wait to meet up with our colleagues from CSRS, engage in inspiring discussions and even better get to back in the forest again...will we be lucky and encounter any signs of pygmy hippo in a yet unexplored forest reserve in Ivory Coast?"

We are wishing them a safe journey ahead!

19/05/2026

The polls are closed! This little baby pygmy hippo’s name is… Hermann! Welcome, Hermann — we cannot wait to see what a lovely pygmy hippo you will grow into 🦛!

Hermann (Hermann Okou Eléazar Digbeu) is also the name of one of our scientists based in Ivory Coast, who is dedicated to conserving this amazing species 🙌. People could also vote for the name Innocent, after our other scientist based in Ivory Coast! Maybe a future baby will be named after him too 🦛?

Sig hej til Hermann! ✨🦛

Nu har vores dværgflodhesteunge officielt fået sit navn.

Tusind tak til alle jer, der har været med til at stemme på et navn.

Der blev afgivet hele 5.214 stemmer, og med imponerende 83,6 procent af stemmerne er vindernavnet HERMANN. 🏆

Tak for det fantastiske engagement. Vi glæder os til at dele mange flere oplevelser med Hermann her i parken! 💚

15/05/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐧, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐡𝐃 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧, 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚? 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥…

Robin has started her PhD with IBREAM and the University of Pretoria and is now in South Africa to study the African wild dog. Robin will mainly focus on the reproduction of this species, as it is quite complex…

The endangered African wild dog has a very complex social structure. African wild dogs have separate male an female hieracrchies which makes breeding, especially in captivity, a challenge. Even ‘small’ interventions, such as introducing a new pack member, can have serious or even fatal consequences.

Robin will develop a field-friendly artificial insemination and s***m collection protocol for African wild dogs. When successful, Robin’s work could play a crucial role in preserving and restoring genetic diversity within the species which will help build a healthier population for the future! And that is what IBREAM is all about!

Robin: we are wishing you all the best of luck and are thankful for her dedication towards protecting this amazing species!

15/05/2026

Today is the last day to vote for the name of this beautiful baby pygmy hippo! You can vote between Innocent or Hermann, one of our scientists in Ivory Coast, who are dedicating their life to the pygmy hippo 🦛 .

08/05/2026

Meet our new PhD student & wildlife vet, Robin Gieling!

Robin will focus her PhD on researching the African wild dog. What exactly she will be doing we will tell you later… First something about Robin herself!

Robin has 12+ years of experience, working with both domestic & all across the globe. She previously led the veterinary clinic at Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) and worked closely with the Kalahari African Wild Dog Conservation Project (KAWDCP). Her work spans clinical care, wildlife capture, training future vets, and supporting in the field.

She also launched a rabies vaccination campaign in 2019 as part of a One Health initiative which is still ongoing today!

Since 2021, Robin has been veterinary advisor for KAWDCP, supporting field projects: from collaring and treating to mentoring students and working with communities. A recent highlight: helping translocate an entire wild dog pack, including puppies.

We’re proud to have Robin on the team and will share more about her research in our next post! Keep an eye out for that one if you want to know more!

29/04/2026

IBREAM participates in the EAZA Canid & Hyaenid TAG’s 2nd Regional Species Planning workshop in Cerza Zoo, France. Great discussions and planning with EEP co-ordinators, in-situ conservation specialists and colleagues from AZA!

23/04/2026

🦛𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐩𝐲𝐠𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐚ï 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤!

IBREAM's postdoc Hermann Digbeu is searching for the perfect location to place cage traps so we can collar a wild pygmy hippo! By using camera traps around his research site in Taï National Park (located in Ivory Coast), called Hippo Camp, he is searching for where the pygmy hippo is most active. Luckily, signs are already everywhere: footprints pressed into the forest floor, feeding remains, and even fresh dung! 💩

🌱Even the smallest discoveries matter here. Seeds collected from that dung have been planted to help identify the plant species pygmy hippos feed on, while insects found within it may reveal more about the role of soil fauna in decomposition.

Hermann will keep collecting data from the field in order to narrow down the perfect area to try and collar a wild pygmy hippo! We cannot wait.

Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire

20/04/2026

𝐖𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐲𝐠𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭… 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭? 🦛

During our expedition we tested our pygmy hippo GPS collar, the HippoEdge, in one of the most dense and humid rainforest environments. We are excited to share that the results were very promising!

👉 Our next step: collaring a wild .

With only around 2000 individuals left in the wild, every piece of data can help protect this unique species. We cannot wait to further help protect this beautiful species and your help is greatly appreciated in any way!

Follow us for updates and donate to help conserve this amazing species and support our research 🌍💚 (𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴).

Big thank you to all our sponsors and partners: Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Diergaarde Blijdorp / Rotterdam Zoo, ZooParc Overloon, Stichting Wildlife, GIVSKUD ZOO, ZOO Antwerpen, The Toronto Zoo, ZPOT, and Parken Zoo i Eskilstuna AB

16/04/2026

🙌 IBREAM's African Wild Dog Team will also be joining the Regional Species Plan to share knowledge and use their expertise to support the conservation of this special animal!
We are already looking forward to it 💪.

🌍Conservation | 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗘𝗔𝗭𝗔 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝘆𝗮𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗲?
We're talking painted dogs, grey wolves, arctic foxes, maned wolves, and more! 🐺

One way they do this is by raising funds for conservation activities! 🙌
Many of them aimed at reducing conflict between communities and wildlife.

On top of that, this month, the EAZA Canid and Hyaenid Taxon Advisory Group is reviewing their Regional Species Plan📝🐺 to make sure the populations managed across EAZA zoos are making a real difference for the species in the long run.

𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵'𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗻𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁 to discover the many ways our Members are taking action, and explore a role-play game 🎭 developed by EU Environment on human-wildlife coexistence! ➡️ https://loom.ly/K2t3sY0

15/04/2026

Earlier this month, we got together with Diergaarde Blijdorp / Rotterdam Zoo, Wageningen University & Research, and Smart Parks to talk all things pygmy hippo! 🦛

Last February our team managed to capture almost an hour of unique footage of a pygmy hippo and her calf grazing along a jungle river in Côte d'Ivoire. But, what did we learn from this? How did the other technical tests go? And where do we go from here?

This week we discussed this and so much more on-site at Diergaarde Blijdorp - Rotterdam Zoo, a key partner of the IBREAM- Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire Taï Hippo Project. Permits, schedules, research methods: science thrives on coffee, communication and collaboration! We thank our host organisation Diergaarde Blijdorp / Rotterdam Zoo, as well as our collaborators at Smart Parks and Wageningen University & Research for this very productive get-together 🌱