When Congress Almost Released Thousands of Wild Hippos Into Louisiana

The other night, as my wife and I were watching Amazon Prime Video, I saw they were promoting the movie "Hungry" as one of their most popular films at the time.

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The movie centered on the idea that a wild hippopotamus lived in the swamps of Louisiana and began to attack any who might wander into her path. Thinking we might give it a try, we began to watch. The acting was terrible but the storyline was somewhat familiar. No, it wasn't just another monster movie. This was something that actually came within one vote of reality here in Louisiana.

If all you know of hippos is the board game, "Hungry Hippo", it's likely you would never imagine how dangerous this animal can be. Truth be told, they are one of the most dangerous animals on the planet, and since they certainly aren't native to Louisiana, how did we almost have them here in the Bayou State?

Why Did Louisiana Want to Release Hippos in the State?

The year was 1910.  It was the year Hallmark cards debuted; the Boy Scouts of America was organized and Louisiana came within one single vote of unleashing thousands of Africa's most dangerous beasts to live among us.

READ MORE: Thousands of Black Bass Stocked Into Red River To Improve Fishery

America was suffering through somewhat of a meat shortage and the vast bayous and waterways of south Louisiana were being choked off by water hyacinths which were killing fish.

That's when Representative Robert Broussard of Louisiana hit Congress with a brilliant idea that would solve both problems with a single blow.

In Louisiana, We'll Eat Just About Anything. Why Not Hippos?

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If Congress approved, thousands of hippopotamuses would be brought into the swamps of Louisiana where they'd eat up the unwanted hyacinths.  Once a breeding population was established, they could be hunted for their meat. Some even nicknamed that hippo meat as "lake cow bacon."

In a story from salon.com, we learn that Representative Broussard introduced the so-called "America Hippo Bill" in 1910 and asked that Congress approve an expense of $250,000 to be used to go to Africa and bring hippopotamuses to the United States.

Broussard's logic was winning support initially. Even the New York Times and former President Roosevelt were both in favor of importing "the river horse" to Louisiana's swamps.

Not All Lawmakers Were Crazy About Idea to Release Hippos in Louisiana

However, many were afraid of the dangerous hippos, which have been said to kill an average of 500 people in Africa in each year, far more than the much more feared lion.

It was also discussed that the hippo population might not fare well during the colder Louisiana winters along with the potential for other ecological issues the hippo might cause.  It was that line of thinking that prevailed and the American Hippo Bill fell short of passage by one single vote.

Who knows what would have become of south Louisiana waterways if this thing had passed? We might have created an ecological failure as destructive as the introduction of feral hogs and Giant Salvinia. Or it could have been the answer to feeding America's hungry.  We'll never know.