The wild story of Pablo Escobar’s cocaine hippos

Pablo Escobar, the Colombian drug kingpin, was killed in 1993. After his death, most of the exotic animals he had imported were either transferred to zoos or died. These included llamas, cheetahs, lions, tigers, ostriches and other unusual species that had been kept on his private estate.

However, four hippopotamuses were left behind. They were not relocated at the time because officials considered them too dangerous to capture and transport. Over the years, these animals adapted well to their new environment and began to reproduce. Today, authorities estimate that around 200 hippos, descended from Escobar’s original animals, are roaming freely in Colombia. Their population could exceed 1,000 by 2035 if left unchecked. They have since become known as the ‘cocaine hippos’.

The hippos originally lived on Escobar’s vast estate, Hacienda Nápoles, during the 1980s. What was once a symbol of wealth and excess has now become the centre of an environmental issue. The rapid and largely uncontrolled growth of the hippo population is a growing concern, as it threatens the region’s delicate ecosystems and waterways.

There have been efforts to manage the population, including attempts to sterilise some of the animals. However, these measures have proven difficult and only partially effective due to the size and danger of the hippos, as well as the cost involved.

According to Humberto Basilio, writing for Scientific American, “The animals’ large size also alters river systems and pollutes the water with waste, depleting its oxygen and overloading it with nutrients. This can kill fish and plants and affect communities that depend on these waterways. Hippos have also caused traffic accidents and attacked people and boats in recent years.”

In response to the growing problem, the Colombian government has announced plans to euthanise 80 of the estimated population of at least 169 hippos, in an effort to control their numbers and limit further environmental damage.

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