In the early 20th century, a radical solution to two of America’s pressing problems—meat shortages and invasive plant species—was proposed that would have transformed the Southern landscape into a scene reminiscent of an African safari. The American Hippo Bill, formally known as House Resolution 23261, proposed the importation and release of hippos into the bayous of Louisiana. This ambitious, albeit unconventional, legislative effort was spearheaded by Louisiana Representative Robert F. Broussard in 1910 and drew remarkable support from various prominent figures, including former President Theodore Roosevelt and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The plan, as described by Broussard, would address the rampant growth of the invasive water hyacinth while simultaneously bolstering the nation’s meat supply with “lake cow bacon,” a term coined by newspaper editorials in a nod to hippo meat’s potential. Major Frederick Russell Burnham and Captain Fritz Duquesne, with their colorful backgrounds as a military scout and a South African army captain respectively, were the chief collaborators pushing this idea forward.
However, despite the broad base of support, which included endorsements from influential publications such as The Washington Post and The New York Times, the American Hippo Bill did not pass through Congress. William Newton Irwin, a Department of Agriculture researcher, passionately argued before the congressional panel the potential benefits of importing various non-domesticated species. He envisioned “it is easily possible to add 1,000,000 tons of meat a year to our supply” and transforming the American diet with a range of exotic meats.
The premise behind Broussard’s bill was as innovative as it was audacious: hippos, once fattened on the water hyacinth choking Southern waterways, would be harvested for their meat. “I was born in Africa … [and] most of my early life was spent eating hippopotamus,” Captain Fritz Duquesne is quoted telling the panel, drawing on his experiences to advocate for the consumption of hippo meat, which he claimed, along with Irwin, tasted like a “combination of pork and beef.”
The American public was faced with the prospect of trading their traditional meat sources for the likes of hippopotamus and other African wildlife. Newspapers nationwide weighed in on the debate, with the Daily Arizona Silver Belt whimsically suggesting that “to be saved from vegetarianism” Americans might “cultivate a taste for hippopotamus.”
Despite the vocal support and the comprehensive case made before the House Committee on Agriculture, skepticism remained. Chairman Charles F. Scott questioned the feasibility of domesticating and containing the massive animals, to which Irwin and Broussard assured him of their tamability and the ease of fencing them in on waterfront farms. Little did they know, their plans harbored significant ecological risks—hippos are notorious for their destructive tendencies and pose a deadly threat to humans.
As the years went by, political shifts and the onset of World War I diverted attention away from the bill, and Broussard’s death in 1918 marked the end of any further pursuit of the hippo ranching dream.
Relevant articles:
– American Hippo bill
– The Crazy, Ingenious Plan to Bring Hippopotamus Ranching to America,DEC 20, 2013
– How the U.S. Almost Became a Nation of Hippo Ranchers,May 30, 2023