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Colombia estimates: there is no choice but to eliminate the fleeing hippos of Pablo Escobar

Nearly 30 years after the drug baron's death, the animals he brought to his private zoo are growing rapidly and threatening to eliminate Colombia's unique animals: "No one wants to shoot a hippopotamus, but it must be acknowledged that there is no other solution."

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• Hippopotamus

• Pablo Escobar

• Colombia

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Tuesday, 19 January 2021, 23:36

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Pablo Escobar's 'cocaine hippo' has lost control and must be eliminated, say scientists and wildlife experts who fear that hippos, which live in the Magdalena River area of ​​Colombia, could destroy natural crops and animals unique to the country.

When Pablo Escobar, the drug baron, was shot to death at age 43 in 1993, he left behind four hippos he had brought to his private zoo in Colombia.

After his death, most of the animals at the zoo were moved to various locations, but the four hippos were left to live in the pond he built for them.

Since then, they have fled to the Magdalena River, the largest in the country, and their numbers are growing and it is estimated that there are now between 80 and 100 descendants of Escobar's pets.

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Pablo Escobar (Photo: AP)

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National Geographic reported about a week ago that researchers believe these hippos are a threat to wildlife.

David Ashbury, a researcher at the Columbia Government's Department of the Environment, which oversees animal management, says he has no doubt they are behaving like an invasive species.

He said if they were allowed to remain unsupervised, they would cause displacement and even the elimination of animals unique to the area such as otters and dachshunds (sea cows).

In addition they also pose a danger to local residents as they can be territorial and aggressive and there have been cases where hippos chased people as well as a case of hippo attack in May 2020 where a 45 year old man was seriously injured.

In addition, there is a concern that their urine and feces are toxic and they carry a large amount of dangerous bacteria.

"These hippos have become part of our national identity, but our time is running out," Ashbury said.

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"Nobody likes the idea of ​​shooting a hippopotamus"

According to expert estimates, their number could reach over 1,000 unsupervised by 2024. Some solutions, such as trying to relocate or partially castrate them so that they stop reproducing at a rapid rate, have been considered and even implemented, but some researchers say these solutions will not suffice to Solve the serious problem.

Ecologist Natalie Castelblanko-Martinez argues that the only solution to preserve the environment is to eliminate them.

"No one likes the idea of ​​shooting a hippopotamus," she says, "but one must recognize that no other strategy is going to work."

The authors of the study published in the January issue of the journal Biological Conservation cite studies showing that there are negative effects of hippopotamus feces and oxygen levels on water, which can affect fish and eventually humans, raising concerns about possible transmission of diseases from hippos to humans. The authors of the article recommend working to reduce hippos by selective killing to prevent long-term adverse effects,

whereas other scientists call for a neutering program, expressing concern for animal welfare and the reaction it will evoke among emotionally attached locals.

In the past, sterilization was carried out among them, but he did not do much to slow down population growth.

Between 2011 and 2019, four males were neutered and two females were spayed, but "this does not seem to have a significant effect on reproductive rate," according to study authors, who say there are already more than 80 hippos in the area today, compared to 35 in 2012. That the hippos will continue to spread across Colombia if no dramatic action is taken.

As early as 2009 we reported the problem with Escobar's hippos

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The Hippos That Disrupt the Lives of Colombians - September, 2009 (Walla! News)

In contrast, Enrique Zarda Ordonez, a biologist at Columbia National University, told CNN she believes continuing neutering and spaying programs are the right way to go.

Eliminating hippos would be an "easy option," Zarda said, but she warned of the impact on the survival of the endangered species in Africa.

Although the sterilization of hippos is not an easy task, she says it is possible and necessary to do so now, before their number increases even further, according to a press release issued by the university.

"Right now, the authorities do not see them as a problem," Zarda said, "but in the future, when there are hundreds of hippos, this could pose a threat to the survival of other species living in those areas."

David Ashbury confirmed to CNN that the situation is delicate.

"The possibility of killing them is always at stake," he said.

"However it is very difficult to imagine that this could happen right now. Although hippos are an invasive species capable of completely changing local ecosystems, the people in the area have become accustomed to them," Ashbury said, "they have become a tourist attraction that people feel some affection for."

He agreed that some of the hippos would have to be killed, because "it is virtually impossible to find and relocate them or sterilize them, but there are some that are in certain areas, lakes and places that make it possible to establish a pregnancy prevention program among them, assuming there are adequate resources," he concluded. Works in collaboration with the association "Animal Balance" to try to find alternative solutions.

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