Frequently asked questions

The Trust recommends maintaining a distance of 20 metres from any working hippo. If the hippo is moving towards you, the Trust recommends moving perpendicular to the hippo. If the hippo is stationary, the Trust recommends not making this your problem.

The Trust has published a Canal User Safety Guide which is available from their website. The guide is 14 pages long. Pages 1 through 12 discuss general canal safety. Pages 13 and 14 address hippo-specific scenarios. Page 14 is mostly blank and contains the words ‘if you have reached this page, you are too close to the hippo.’

Hippos in the Scheme consume primarily aquatic vegetation. They are not fed by the Trust. D.W. of Rotherham attempted to feed a hippo a sausage roll. The hippo declined. The Trust considers this ‘a correct decision on both sides.’

The Trust has issued guidance stating that members of the public should not attempt to feed, water, or otherwise service any hippo deployed under the Scheme. The guidance notes that hippos ‘do not require catering’ and that public attempts to provide hospitality ‘have historically been unsuccessful and, in the case of the Rotherham sausage roll incident, briefly tense.’

Hippos continue to work in winter, although at a reduced pace. The Trust provides no additional cold-weather equipment. The hippos have not requested any.

During the Birmingham trial, HCMS-01 maintained activity throughout December and January, although the Trust noted that the hippo’s ‘enthusiasm diminished noticeably after the first frost.’ A site monitor reported that the hippo ‘continued to dredge, but with what I can only describe as a reduced sense of purpose.’

The Trust has considered providing heated shelters but concluded that ‘a hippo that is warm enough to leave a shelter is a hippo that is warm enough to stay in a shelter’ and that ‘the maths does not favour the shelter.’

Yes.

Barbara remains in the Leeds-Liverpool Canal near Wigan Pier. Her status has not changed since September 2024. The Trust monitors her weekly. Every report contains the same update: ‘Barbara is present. Barbara is well. Barbara has not moved.’

For the full history of Barbara’s deployment, see the Wigan Hippo page.

You may visit the canal. You may see Barbara. Barbara may see you. The Trust does not organise visits because Barbara does not organise appointments.

The Trust has issued the following guidance for visitors: maintain a distance of 20 metres, do not approach the hippo, do not feed the hippo, and do not attempt to take photographs with the hippo unless you are comfortable with the possibility that the hippo will appear in the photograph and you will not.

A spokesperson for the Trust confirmed that Barbara ‘does not have visiting hours because Barbara does not recognise the concept of hours.’

Fish populations have remained stable in all trial areas. The Trust considers this ‘evidence that the hippos and fish have reached an understanding.’ The fish were not available for comment.

The Environment Agency conducted a fish population survey following the Birmingham trial and found that fish numbers had decreased slightly but that the remaining fish appeared ‘more concentrated in areas the hippo was not using.’ The Agency described this as ‘spatial awareness on the part of the fish.’

A marine biologist consulted by the Trust described the relationship between hippos and canal fish as ‘an arrangement that both parties seem satisfied with, primarily because the fish have not been asked their opinion and the hippo does not have one.’

Contact the Hippo Deployment Team at the Canal and River Trust. Please note that requests are currently paused pending the outcome of structural assessments and what the Trust describes as ‘a broader conversation about whether this is something we should be doing at all.’

When requests are open, applicants must complete Form HCMS-REQ/1, which requires details of the canal section, the nature of the maintenance required, a risk assessment, and a written undertaking to ‘not be surprised by the outcomes.’ The Trust has noted that the last requirement was added following the London trial.

Requests from the Dewsbury area are processed by the Trust’s Northern office. Requests from all other areas are processed centrally. The Trust has not explained why Dewsbury receives special treatment, but an internal memo obtained under the Freedom of Information Act suggests it is ‘because the Dewsbury canal people do not complain as much.’

The Canal and River Trust does not comment on questions of this nature. If you require confirmation of the Scheme’s operational status, please submit a written request to the Hippo Deployment Team. The Deployment Team has not responded to an enquiry since June 2024, when they received a question they described as ‘unhelpful.’

Barbara is in the canal. The canal is in Wigan. The Trust considers these facts self-evident.