2016 - Niue 1 NZD Pygmy Hippopotamus - Proof

• perfect gi for all lovers of nature
• minted in .999 sterling silver!
• elegant decoration with digital printing and SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS
• specially designed presentation case featuring a pygmy hippo

The Mint of Poland is pleased to present a consecutive collector coin from the series “S.O.S. to the World – Endangered Animal Species”. This unique souvenir token featuring a pygmy hippopotamus (a smaller cousin of the well-known Nile hippo) reminds us about the fragile beauty of living things being on the verge of extinction.

Due to its nocturnal lifestyle and hard-to-reach feeding grounds, the pygmy hippopotamus has remained unknown for long, even in the West African countries. The pygmy hippo is only half as tall and weighs less than one-fourth as much as its larger Nile relative. In spite of his passion for mud baths, the pygmy hippo doesn’t have a liking for aquatic vegetation. It emerges from water at dusk to feed on ferns, fruits, grass and leaves. Unlike their huge cousins, these adorable animals are rather reclusive. The IUCN estimates that due to habitat destruction and hunting there are fewer than 3,000 pygmy hippos living in the wild.

The coin enchants with its silver gleams and precise finishing. Thanks to high-end digital printing, the images of pygmy hippos depicted on the reverse look extremely lifelike. Decorative surface in the background alludes to the swamps and marshes of Africa – the natural habitat of these herbivores. Gleaming with a beautiful emerald color, a SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystal shows the regional distribution of the species on the map of the world. The coin is accompanied by a specially designed presentation case, pleasantly decorated with the images of adorable pigmies.