The Wigan Hippo
The story of the hippo that was assigned to the Leeds-Liverpool Canal for a four-month trial and decided, through passive non-compliance, to remain indefinitely.
Background
In March 2024, HCMS-02 was assigned to a 2km stretch of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal near Wigan Pier. The trial was intended to last four months. The hippo completed the assigned maintenance work within three months and then, according to the Canal and River Trust, ‘simply stayed.’
The Trust has emphasised that HCMS-02 was not released, abandoned, or forgotten. ‘The hippo was collected on schedule,’ a Trust spokesperson stated. ‘The collection was unsuccessful. The hippo was present. The hippo is still present. We are working on the gap between those two statements.’
Timeline
March 2024: Trial begins
HCMS-02 is introduced to a 2km stretch of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal near Wigan Pier. Initial monitoring reports describe the hippo as ‘settling in.’ The Trust notes that the hippo has begun clearing vegetation within the first 48 hours.
April 2024: Vegetation cleared, water quality improved
The assigned stretch is cleared of aquatic vegetation. Water quality readings show a 38% improvement. The Trust’s site monitor reports that the hippo ‘appears content.’ When asked what a content hippo looks like, the monitor replied, ‘It looks like a hippo that is in a canal and not trying to leave the canal.’
May 2024: Locals name the hippo Barbara
Regular canal users begin referring to HCMS-02 as ‘Barbara.’ The Trust does not officially name hippos. Barbara is not the hippo’s name. The hippo does not have a name. The Trust has nevertheless started using the name internally, which they describe as ‘for ease of reference only.’
A spokesperson confirmed: ‘We do not name the hippos. Barbara is a designation, not a name. It is shorter to say than HCMS-02. That is the only reason we use it. The fact that it is also a name is coincidental.’
June 2024: Trial concludes. Barbara declines to leave.
The four-month trial period ends. The Trust attempts to relocate Barbara to a holding facility. Barbara does not leave. Barbara did not physically resist. Barbara simply did not leave. The Trust describes this as ‘passive non-compliance.’
The relocation team arrived with transport equipment at 8am. By 6pm, the transport equipment had been removed and the team had left. Barbara had not moved. The team leader reported that Barbara ‘watched us set up, watched us wait, and watched us leave. At no point did she give the impression that our presence was relevant to her.’
July 2024: First relocation attempt
The Trust sends a relocation team. Barbara is in the same location. The team reported that Barbara ‘appeared surprised to see them’ and then ‘appeared unsurprised to see them leave.’
The team spent seven hours attempting to encourage Barbara towards the transport vehicle. Methods included vocal encouragement (ineffective), food-based motivation (Barbara ate the food and did not move), and what the report describes as ‘optimistic gesturing’ (also ineffective). The team returned to base. Barbara remained.
August 2024: Second relocation attempt
The Trust sends a larger relocation team. Barbara is still in the same location. The team reported that Barbara ‘appeared to be expecting them.’ No relocation occurred.
The larger team included two additional personnel, a revised relocation strategy, and what the Trust described as ‘a more compelling food offering.’ Barbara consumed the food offering and did not move. The revised strategy was not implemented because, according to the team leader, ‘the conditions for implementing it required the hippo to be somewhere other than where she was, and she was where she was.’
September 2024: Trust accepts the situation
Barbara has been reclassified as a ‘permanent resident’ of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. She is not officially part of the Scheme. She is not officially not part of the Scheme. The Trust describes her status as ‘ambiguous but stable.’
The decision to reclassify Barbara was taken at a meeting of the Trust’s senior leadership team. Minutes from the meeting record that the Hippo Deployment Lead presented a 12-point relocation plan, after which the Chief Executive asked, ‘Has any hippo in the history of this programme ever voluntarily gone where we wanted it to go?’ The meeting was adjourned shortly after.
October 2024: Barbara observed clearing vegetation independently
The Trust observes Barbara clearing vegetation from the canal without prompting, scheduling, or supervision. The Trust considers this ‘voluntary canal maintenance.’ Barbara considers this nothing, because she is a hippo.
A site monitor reported: ‘Barbara has cleared a further 300 metres of canal beyond her original assignment area. She appears to be working to her own schedule, which is more ambitious than the schedule we gave her. We are not sure whether to be impressed or concerned. We have settled for both.’
Current status
Barbara remains. She has become ‘a local attraction.’ A nearby pub has renamed its beer garden ‘Barbara’s View.’ The Trust has not endorsed this but has ‘not not endorsed it.’
The Trust monitors Barbara on a weekly basis. Monitoring reports consistently describe her condition as ‘good’ and her location as ‘the same.’ The Trust has allocated a small budget for Barbara’s ongoing monitoring, which it describes as ‘the cost of doing business with a hippo who does not consider herself to be doing business.’
Local residents have petitioned Wigan Council to formally recognise Barbara as a ‘canal heritage asset.’ The Council has responded that it is ‘looking into the appropriate category’ and that ‘existing heritage asset classifications were not designed with hippos in mind.’