Pablo Escobar’s ‘cocaine Hippos’ To Face Mass Culling Despite Outcry

Colombian officials person authorized a scheme to cull dozens of hippos roaming freely done a fertile and humid region successful nan halfway of nan country.

Environment Minister Irene Vélez said nan determination was reached because different methods to power their organization person been costly and unsuccessful, including neutering immoderate of nan animals aliases moving them to zoos.

Velez said that up to 80 hippos threatening villagers and displacing autochthonal type would beryllium affected by nan measurement but she did not opportunity erstwhile nan hunting would begin.

“If we don’t do this we will not beryllium capable to power nan population,” Vélez said. “We person to return this action to sphere our ecosystems.”

Colombia is nan only state extracurricular of Africa pinch a chaotic hippo population. The Colombian hippos are nan descendants of 4 animals brought to nan state successful nan 1980s by notorious supplier lord Pablo Escobar, arsenic he built a backstage zoo successful Hacienda Nápoles, a gigantic ranch successful nan Magdalena River vale pinch a backstage landing portion that served arsenic Escobar’s agrarian abode.

A study published by Colombia’s National University estimated that astir 170 hippos were roaming freely successful nan state successful 2022.

Recently, hippos person been spotted successful areas that are much than 100 kilometers (60 miles) northbound of nan ranch, wherever Escobar initially introduced nan water-dwelling pachyderms.

Environmental authorities successful Colombia opportunity nan ample mammals airs a threat to villagers who person encountered them successful farms and rivers. They besides compete for nutrient and abstraction against section type specified arsenic stream manatees.

Despite nan biology challenges, nan hippos person besides go a tourer attraction, pinch residents of nan villages surrounding Hacienda Nápoles now offering hippo spotting tours and trading hippo-themed souvenirs.

The hippos are besides 1 of nan main attractions astatine nan Nápoles ranch, which was confiscated by Colombia’s authorities arsenic it seized Escobar’s properties. It now functions arsenic a taxable park, featuring swimming spools, h2o slides and a zoo that includes respective different African species.

Animal use activists successful Colombia person agelong opposed proposals to termination nan hippos, arguing they merit to live, and adding that addressing nan problem done unit sets a mediocre illustration for a state that has gone done decades of soul conflict.

Over nan past 12 years, a play spanning 3 different statesmanlike administrations, Colombia has tried to neuter immoderate of nan hippos successful a bid to trim their population. But these initiatives person had a constricted scope, owed to nan precocious costs that travel pinch capturing nan vulnerable animals, and performing surgeries connected them.

Because Colombia’s hippos travel from a constricted cistron pool, and could transportation diseases, taking them backmost to their earthy residence successful Africa is besides unfeasible.