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[Hurgal]

The site of my fortress is situated on the confluence of 2 minor rivers, and as such, there is a waterfall where the higher one empties into the lower one.  The lower one has hippos swimming in it, and I would like ever so much to capture, breed, and stare at them in rapt adulation for hours on end.  Here is what I've tried:

1) Dig a resevoir next to the lower river with 2 entrances/exits, each 1-tile wide, with cage traps.  Open floodgates, wait for hippos to enter/be washed in, pump out water, collect spoils.  All I caught was a milkfish, and that little bugger is still sitting in my animal stockpile waiting for me to decide what to do with it.  The hippos remained completely stationary.

2) Dig a system of ramps down to the lower river and hope the hippos would be offended by my presence, climb the ramps, and get caught in some cage traps.  Rather than this, or even standing still, they dispersed at the sight of my dwarves digging the access ramps.

3) Wish really hard.  No luck there, either.

Does anybody have any other suggestions?

[Don Blake]

Dam the river, leaving the hippos without water to hide in.  Build cage traps everywhere.

[Hurgal]

Well, I'm in a hot biome, so no freezing.  I take it that means lots of screw pumps?

[Don Blake]

Well, I'm in a hot biome, so no freezing.  I take it that means lots of screw pumps?

Hmm.  You could dig a shaft underneath it down to the Magma Sea, perhaps?

[Firnagzen]

The last word in aquatic trapping. All hail Kanddak.

[cog disso]

This rip-off of "Pirates of the Caribbean" is surprisingly original.

[Hurgal]

I don't have an aquifer, so I don't think Kanddak's method would work for me.

I might try the shaft-to-the-magma-sea plan.  Do I need to have a gap between the magma sea and the bottom of my shaft so it doesn't get clogged with newly-cast obsidian?

[jaxad0127]

Yes, along with horizontal room, so the new wall can fall and be destroyed by hitting magma flow.

[Ubiq]

You might want to try a simpler method before bringing magma into the mix. Build floors across the river and line them with cage traps. The hippos will occasionally wander across the floor rather than under them and will be caught by the traps.

Works for alligators anyway.

You might want to watch the hippos to see what their range is first though so you can position the traps properly. Some animals stick within a fairly narrow portion of the map and it's possible that was why your other methods did not work.

[Hurgal]

You might want to try a simpler method before bringing magma into the mix. Build floors across the river and line them with cage traps. The hippos will occasionally wander across the floor rather than under them and will be caught by the traps.

Works for alligators anyway.

You might want to watch the hippos to see what their range is first though so you can position the traps properly. Some animals stick within a fairly narrow portion of the map and it's possible that was why your other methods did not work.

So you're saying to build floors with cage traps on the z-level above the river bottom, and that the aquatic creatures will be able to traverse that z-level if prompted?

[Ubiq]

So you're saying to build floors with cage traps on the z-level above the river bottom, and that the aquatic creatures will be able to traverse that z-level if prompted?

So long as the water is 7/7 deep (which shouldn't ever be a problem in this river), yes, they can move from underwater directly onto an adjacent floor over the surface.

[Firnagzen]

I don't have an aquifer, so I don't think Kanddak's method would work for me.

I might try the shaft-to-the-magma-sea plan.  Do I need to have a gap between the magma sea and the bottom of my shaft so it doesn't get clogged with newly-cast obsidian?

The river refiling itself should suffice.

[AngleWyrm]

Build a wall around the hippos in the river, thus creating a pre-stocked Hippo Park & Wildlife Preserve, and then build a viewing hall next to it. Designate the viewing hall as a gathering place, and build a glass wall between it and the hippos. Or build it one story up, and have an observation deck, for your hippo viewing pleasure.