The Colombian government likes hippos less than Pablo Escobar. The environment minister announced Thursday that she plans to euthanize some of the 166 hippos that come from a lineage of the former Colombian drug lord. In addition to the sterilization and transfer of individuals to other countries, the assisted killing of mammals that breed in a local river, the Magdalena, will be one of the three measures that the authorities are taking to prevent the damage caused by this invasive species .
“The first phase of this management plan begins” with the “sterilization phase” of about twenty men by the end of the year, explained Susana Muhamad during a press conference. “Some” will be euthanized, she added. Although exact numbers were not given or when the elimination process might begin, specimens are also being sent to Mexico, India and the Philippines, countries willing to receive them.
These nearly two-ton herbivores live freely in the Antioquia province of northern Colombia and form the largest herd of hippos outside of the African continent. However, experts fear that serious accidents could occur. Fishermen were attacked on the river and hippos invaded a schoolyard near the town of Doradal. According to biologists, these mammals are causing the displacement of local fauna, especially the manatee, an endangered species. Cattle farmers complain about the damage caused by their nocturnal migrations. In April, a hippopotamus was fatally struck by a truck.
When Escobar dies, they are left to fend for themselves
In the late 1980s, Pablo Escobar decorated the zoo of his fantastic hacienda, about a hundred kilometers southeast of Medellin, with a handful of hippos. When their “master” was killed by the police in 1993, the animals were left to fend for themselves. They multiplied uncontrollably in a region crisscrossed by rivers, swamps and marshes. A perfect habitat for this mammal that stays in the water most of the day before coming out at dusk to graze on the grass.
While researchers at National University, a public institution, estimate that the number could reach a thousand specimens by 2035 if this population is not controlled, animal rights organizations emphasize that sterilization causes suffering for animals and endangers the lives of veterinarians. In this regard, David Echeverri, a representative of the organization that will be responsible for the operations, recognizes the risk of an allergic reaction to the anesthesia, which could lead to the death of the animal.