The reason for the demise of the Malagasy dwarf hippo isn’t 100% clear. While there is evidence on at least 7 hippo bones of "butchery", overhunting doesn't seem to be the main reason. There have been times of drought in Madagascar which might have limited the water supply for this hippo. Although not much is known about this dwarf hippo, the fossils indicate it was adapted to a less aquatic lifestyle and was capable of running. Its extinction date is a topic of debate amongst scientists. Most fossils indicate the extinction date around 1,000 years ago after the arrival of people on Madagascar. Local stories of the Malagasy dwarf hippo have continued into modern times which would push the time frame to much more recently. In 1648, French governor, Étienne de Flacourt, heard reports of an animal that could only be a small hippo. In 1902, Raybaud, a colonial administrator named Raybaud, heard tales from locals that indicate the hippo survived until 1878. In the 1990's, Burney, a scientist researching extinct species of Madagascar heard tales from the Malagasy villagers of Belo-sur-mer of the 'kilopilopitsofy. They described that in 1976 the kilopilopitsofy had entered their village, was the size of a cow, was dark pigmented, grunted a lot, and when threatened, fled underwater." One man in the village was able to mimic a hippo noise from that experience even though he had never seen nor heard a common hippo before. These stories have caused the debate of its extinction. In 2020, a non fossilized pygmy hippo skull was discovered by Forrest Galante while taping an episode of Extinct or Alive for Animal Planet. That skull is believed to be less than 200 years old, giving credibility to these native tales. Could the Malagasy dwarf hippopotamus live in Madagascar today? Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The Malagasy dwarf hippo might be a candidate. Scientists would potentially use DNA from the recent skull to bring them back to life. If the Malagasy dwarf hippopotamus was brought to life, could it ever be reintroduced to its native homeland in Madagascar? Madagascar is home to many unique animals today, most famously the lemurs and fossa. The biggest problem facing these animals is deforestation and forest fragmentation. In 2020, the Madagascar government launched a project to plant one million trees. The goal is to eventually plant 60 million new trees to connect the fragmented forests. Many projects like https://zahana.org/ are recruiting local people to raise and plant these trees. People who agree to plant trees and care for them are taught how to make better cook stoves which require less wood to use. The main use of trees in Madagascar is wood for cook stoves. Although Malagasy (people from Madagascar) value their unique wildlife and have many areas set aside as National Reserves, many animals are still taken from the wild and sold illegally. Madagascar ranks 10th in the world for poverty. In fact, 75 - 80% of the 26 million people there are living in poverty, making only $2 a day. The answers for how to protect endangered wildlife in Madagascar today are not simple. If the Malagasy dwarf hippo ever did make its way back to its native homeland, would it be able to survive?