Pablo Escobar’s reign of terror did not end with his death and continues today in the form of swarms of hippos invading the Colombian countryside.
In early April, the Colombian government approved the euthanasia of up to 80 wild hippos, descendants of four that Escobar brought into the country for his farm’s private zoo in the 1980s. After his death in 1993, the hippos escaped and began breeding in the wild.
There are currently an estimated 170 hippos in Colombia, living 100 miles along the Magdalena River, as far south as Escobar’s former home, Hacienda Napoles, and as far north as near Puerto Berrio.
The story has been in the making for decades, as the Colombian government tried multiple non-lethal methods of culling the hippo population, including castration and relocation. Colombian Environment Minister Irene Vélez declared the attempt too expensive and a failure.
Why are Colombian hippos problematic?
Hippos are found only in sub-Saharan Africa and breed in environments with abundant water. Therefore, Colombia’s exotic hippos live near the Magdalena River.
Hippos have an average lifespan of up to 50 years, and with no natural predators in Colombia, their population has mushroomed from just four to nearly 200 today. Experts estimate that number could rise to 500 by the end of the decade.
How has the Colombian government dealt with hippos?
Controlling hippopotamus populations is a topic of debate among governments, environmentalists, and residents.
A hippo named Pepe, thought to be one of the original four, was killed in 2009, and his death sparked public outrage and a court order banning the killing of hippos as a population control measure.
Colombia has offered to transport the hippo to a zoo, but no other country has agreed to take it back. They also cannot be brought back to Africa because they are genetically different from wild African hippos as a result of inbreeding. They can also carry diseases that can damage Africa’s ecosystems.
What is Colombia doing to control the hippo spread?
On April 13, Velez announced a nearly $2 million plan to physically and chemically euthanize hippos, which would be chosen based on their size and proximity to humans. The government hopes to kill at least 80 hippos by the end of this year.
