Offspring of illegal hippos imported by Pablo Escobar to Colombia in the 1980s multiplied and began attacking people.
The hippos, which spread from the Kingpin's private zoo to nearby rivers where they thrived, have no natural enemies in the country and have been declared an invasive species that threatens the ecosystem.
Hacienda Nápoles became a tourist attraction after his death in 1993. Most of the animals live freely in rivers and reproduce uncontrollably, prompting Colombia's Environment Ministry to begin sterilization in November.
“They are very, very dangerous.” “The hippos have started attacking people,” a local told Fox News.
Others branded the species “unpredictable” and “aggressive” and said the best course of action if you encountered one was to simply hide.
A handout image from the Colombian government shows the ongoing sterilization of a male hippopotamus valued at $10,000
Hippos swim in a lagoon at Hacienda Napoles Park in November 2013. On Thursday, the Colombian government announced a plan to control the population, which has grown to 169 and could reach 1,000 by 2035 if no action is taken
Pablo Escobar established his own zoo at his Hacienda Napoles estate in the 1980s when he purchased 1,900 exotic and wild animals from a zoo in Dallas. The collection included four hippos, which has now grown to 169
Meanwhile, Colombian Environment Minister Susana Muhamad told the New York Times: “We are in a race against time when it comes to lasting impacts on the environment and ecosystem.”
Two male hippos and a female hippopotamus were surgically sterilized in November, environmental officials said.
It's part of a larger government effort to control the population of 169 mammals that roam unattended in some rivers.
The plan calls for the sterilization of 40 hippos per year, the transfer of some to other countries and possibly euthanasia.
Sterilization takes time because identifying and capturing the territorial, aggressive three-ton animals is complicated, said David Echeverry López, head of the environmental agency in charge of the plan, in a video distributed to the press.
Rain events in the area complicated efforts to capture the animals. More grass means “they have an excess supply of food, so it becomes even more complicated to bait them to catch them,” Echeverry said.
The government estimates that there are 169 hippos in Colombia, particularly in the Magdalena River basin. If no action is taken, there could be 1,000 by 2035.
When the plan was first announced, the Environment Ministry said the procedure was expensive – each sterilization costs about $9,800 – and posed risks to the hippopotamus, including allergic reactions to anesthesia or death, as well as risks to animal health workers.
Colombian soldiers stand at the entrance to Hacienda Napoles, the estate built by Pablo Escobar that once housed his own zoo
Pablo Escobar became interested in establishing his own zoo on his estate after he noticed the herd of exotic and wild animals that the other leaders of the Medellín Cartel, Fabio Ochoa, Juan Ochoa and Jorge Ochoa, kept on their own estate
Nataly Castblanco-Martínez, an ecologist at the University of Quintana Roo in Mexico and lead author of a 2021 group study, told AP at the time that the hippopotamus crisis was “one of the greatest invasive species challenges in the world.” '
They suggested that some of the animals would have to be killed.
Experts say sterilizing the hippos may not be enough to stop their growth. In March, the government announced a plan to transfer some of the animals to the Philippines, Mexico and India, where 60 animals would be sent.
“We are working on the protocol for exporting the animals,” Muhammad said. “We will not export a single animal unless there is permission from the environmental authority of the other country.”
Using his fortune from the transnational drug trafficking organization, Escobar founded his own zoo in Hacienda Napoles.
Local officials in Puerto Triunfo had rejected his plans for a city zoo because Medellín already had one, according to the book “Pablo Escobar, My Father,” written by his only son, Juan Pablo Escobar.
The feared drug lord was also interested in starting his own zoo after he noticed that his colleagues and cartel leaders Fabio Ochoa, Juan Ochoa and Jorge Ochoa had a collection of exotic animals on their own properties.
So the head of the Medellín cartel went out and bought a collection of 1,900 exotic and wild animals from a zoo in Dallas for $2 million.
The capo became annoyed at the fact that there was only one hippopotamus – a male – and told a henchman he needed more.
“You have to buy a hippopotamus because Noah’s Ark is shaking,” said Pablo Escobar. “Call Miami and ask them to put a woman on a plane with me now.”
The zoo's hippopotamus collection grew to four, including three females.
Some of the animals were transferred to zoos after Escobar's death in 1993, but others escaped and reproduced.