Hippos once roamed in Gunungkidul: Scientists

The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Scientists have found evidence that hippopotamuses once lived in Gunungkidul, a barren highland regency which suffers water shortages every dry season.

In July they discovered fossils believed to be the teeth and knuckle bones of a hippopotamus that lived 7,880 years ago. The animal's remains were found in Sengok cave in Playen subdistrict.

"It was hard to believe we found the remains of a hippopotamus in Gunungkidul until testing conducted by Gadjah Mada University's laboratory of biology and paleoanthropology confirmed our theory," archeologist Susetyo Edy Yuwono, coordinator of the research project, said on Tuesday.

The conclusion has been supported by another laboratory test at the Center of Archeological Research and Development in Bandung.

Susetyo said the discovery of the hippopotamus fossils provided further evidence that Gunung Kidul had been a prosperous area in the past.

Last year, researchers found remains of stone coffins in the Gunung Bang area of Karangmojo subdistrict that showed Gunung Kidul had been a center of civilization in the prehistoric age.

"This means that drastic ecological damage occurred in Gunungkidul, making the area dry and infertile as we see now," he said.