Experts: Escobar's hippos must be euthanized

(CNN) -

Colombia's best-known drug trafficker, Pablo Escobar, may have been assassinated in 1993, but his influence continues to be felt in the country, sometimes in unexpected ways.

Hippos brought to Colombia as part of Escobar's private zoo to his farm, Hacienda Napoles, have been raised with such success that there is great concern about their environmental impact and human safety, according to a new study by researchers from Mexican universities and Colombian.

Hippos have spread from their original home, about 260 kilometers east of the city of Medellín, in the department of Antioquia, dispersing throughout the Magdalena river basin as their population continues to grow steadily.

The authors of the study, published in the January issue of the journal Biological Conservation, recommend that hippos be euthanized to avoid long-term negative effects, but other scientists are calling for a castration program to control the hippo population, citing concerns about the animals and the welfare and attachment of some locals to their new neighbors.

This is how Pablo Escobar brought the hippos to Colombia

In the 1980s, Escobar imported a male and three female hippopotamus to join his collection of wild animals.

Upon their death, other species of exotic animals were relocated, but the hippos stayed because they were difficult to capture and transport, according to the study.

Hippos soon began to spread around, but government efforts to euthanize them were halted after a public outcry.

Instead, a sterilization campaign was launched, but it has done little to slow the progress of the hippos.

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From 2011 to 2019, four males were neutered and two females were spayed, but this "does not appear to have a major impact on reproduction," according to the study.

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Hippos went from 35 to 80 in just a few years

Researchers say there are likely more than 80 hippos in the area today, up from 35 in 2012, and they worry that hippos will continue to spread through Colombia if no action is taken.

The study also cites research showing the negative effects of hippo waste on oxygen levels in bodies of water, which can affect fish and ultimately humans, and raises concerns about possible disease transmission. from hippos to humans.

Hippos also pose a threat to the livelihoods and safety of people in affected areas, according to the study, as they eat or damage crops and engage in aggressive interactions with humans.

Investigators cite incidents of hippos chasing people, as well as a hippo attack in May 2020 in which a 45-year-old man was seriously injured.

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But although the study authors recommend euthanizing them, Enrique Zerda Ordóñez, a biologist at the National University of Colombia, believes that castration programs are the way to go.

Slaughtering Escobar's hippos would be an "easy option," Zerda said, but it could affect the survival of a species that is threatened in Africa.

Although sterilizing hippos is not an easy task, he said, he believes it is possible and necessary to do it now, before their numbers increase further, according to a university news release.

“Right now, the authorities do not consider the species to be a problem,” Zerda said, “but in the future, when there are 400-500 hippos, it could pose a threat to the survival of other species that feed in the same areas. ».

David Echeverri López, head of forests and biodiversity at the regional environmental agency Cornare, told CNN that the situation is delicate.

"The option to kill them has always been on the table," he said.

"However, it is very difficult to imagine that this could happen at this time."

While hippos are an invasive species capable of completely changing local ecosystems, local people have become accustomed to them, Echeverri said.

They have become a tourist attraction that people feel a certain affection for, he added.

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Some hippos will have to be killed because it is "practically impossible" to find, relocate or sterilize them.

"But there are some other animals that are found in certain areas, in lakes and places that allow a birth control plan to be implemented, assuming that adequate resources are available," said Echeverri, who works with the NGO Animal Balance. trying to find alternative solutions.

hippo Pablo Escobar