Colombian authorities are planning to “deport” dozens of hippos, descendants of animals in the private herd of notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar, to “new homes” because they are too fertile.
“Nightmare” hippo from big mistake
In the late 1970s, history’s richest crime billionaire and notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar illegally bought hippos and moved them to his farm, about 200km from the Colombian capital.
In 1991, when Escobar was arrested by the authorities, the entire farmland was also confiscated. Most of the pets in this private zoo are moved, including elephants, giraffes and antelopes. Only four hippos escaped.
But it is the negligence of the local government that has turned the regional ecosystem into crisis after only a few decades.
With only 3 females and 1 original male, to date, the hippopotamus of drug lord Escobar has multiplied to 130.
According to local media, hippos are not native to South America. They have no natural enemies. They themselves are ferocious animals. With such behavior and large numbers, they are causing many negative impacts on the environment around the Magdalena River basin, central Colombia.
More than 130 hippos are threatening the flora, taking food of native species, even threatening human life. Their waste contains disease-causing bacteria, polluting soil and water sources.
According to statistics from experts, about 500 people die each year due to attacks from hippos. They are one of the most dangerous animals in the world, capable of killing people with a single bite.
Given the current situation, the Colombian Ministry of the Environment has labeled them an “invasive animal”, banning all forms of breeding and commercialization. Meanwhile, Colombian media called the “cocaine hippo” due to its association with the name of drug lord Escobar.
Experts predict that, without drastic and timely interventions, by 2040, the number of hippopotamuses could reach 600.
Struggling to find a way to “go abroad”
If many locals have begun to get used to the presence of this animal, and even the area where they live has become a tourist attraction, expert David Echeverri working at the environmental agency school, sound the alarm.
“When they attack and kill people, everything changes,” David said.
In the immediate future, authorities in Antioquia, Colombia, have planned to bring 70 hippos “out of the country”. They will be sent to protected areas in Mexico and India. Of these, 60 will go to the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Gujarat (India). The rest went to the Ostok reserve (Mexico).
Ecuador, the Philippines and Botswana are the places that are “queuing” for the next shipments in the near future.
It is known that the plan to relocate the hippopotamus herd arose more than a year ago. At that time, Sara Jaramillo, an entrepreneur working in the field of animal welfare, mentioned bringing “cocaine hippos” to a reserve in Mexico. It is home to about 400 different animals, including jaguars and deer.
Experts at the reserve say they have to prepare the facility to house the hippopotamus when they move in. They must find a way to separate them from nature, or else the same thing happened in Colombia.
In 2009, the country planned to organize a “controlled hunting”. However, when a hippopotamus was destroyed, it caused public outrage. Another method that has been used is the birth control pill. But this plan has not been feasible so far.
