Colombia will kill Pablo Escobar's 80 'cocaine hippos'. Here's why

Colombia is preparing to cull dozens of hippos, descendants of the four brought in by notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar. The animals are roaming freely in the region today and threaten villagers, who are also at risk of being displaced. The so-called "cocaine hippos" have become a menace, and all efforts to control their population have failed. Environment Minister Irene Vélez said they have tried neutering some of the animals or moving them to zoos, but these methods have proven expensive and have failed. She added that the proposal to kill these hippos will affect nearly 80 animals. No definite timeline has been provided yet for the measure. "If we don't do this, we will not be able to control the population," Vélez said. “We have to take this action to preserve our ecosystems.”

Escobar's hippos declared an invasive species in Colombia

Wild hippos are only found in Africa, but Escobar's wish to have a private zoo led to four of these creatures being brought to Colombia in the 1980s. The drug lord wanted to have his own zoo at Hacienda Nápoles, a gigantic ranch with a private landing strip in the Magdalena River valley. However, the hippos are on the loose and have been spotted in places more than 60 miles north of the ranch. Colombia has declared them an invasive species and has tried sterilisation and contemplated deporting them to foreign sanctuaries. However, transferring them would cost an estimated $3.5 million. Hippos have become a threat to the local people, according to environmental authorities, and have invaded farms and rivers.

The hippos are causing loss of food to local species, such as the river manatees, otters and turtles, and killing fish. The absence of their natural predators has led to their numbers exploding. Being such mammoth creatures, they consume huge areas of grasslands and produce significant waste that poisons the rivers, Independent journalist Audrey Huse, who lived in Colombia, told CBS News. Despite the problems, hippos are a tourist attraction in Hacienda Nápoles, with hippo spotting tours and hippo-themed souvenirs being a major source of income for the villagers. Meanwhile, animal welfare activists in Colombia are against the proposal to kill the hippos. Andrea Padilla, a senator and animal rights activist, called the decision to cull the hippos "cruel".