Colombia mulling to send Pablo Escobar’s hippos to India, Mexico
Colombia mulling to transfer Pablo Escobar’s hippos to India, Mexico
At least 70 hippopotamuses which were illegally imported by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar from Africa in the 1980s and currently living near his former ranch are being considered to be sent to India and Mexico as local authorities plan to control their population.
According to reports, the local authorities have been struggling to ensure the maintenance of these hippos, who are also said to be threatening the local ecosystem.
It is said that since they do not have a natural predator in Colombia, their faeces are changing the composition of nearby rivers, affecting manatees, capybaras and other animals.
They are currently living in the Hacienda Napoles ranch, located 200 km from Bogota along the Magdalena River. Authorities estimate that there are about 130 hippos in the area in Antioquia province and their population could reach 400 in eight years, reports AP news agency.
Last year, Colombia’s government declared them a toxic invasive species.
The Colombian environment authorise have, over the years, devised a plan with counterparts in India and Mexico to rehome a group of these hippos, said Lina Marcela de los Ríos Morales, director of animal protection and welfare at Antioquia’s environment ministry.
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Indian and Mexican officials are yet to respond to this matter.
Of the 70 hippos, 60 are being proposed to send to the Greens Zoological Rescue & Rehabilitation Kingdom in Gujarat, India. De los Ríos Morales said India would bear the cost of the containers and airlift.
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While another 10 hippos would go to zoos and sanctuaries in Mexico such as the Ostok, located in Sinaloa.
The plan is to send the hippos living in the rivers surrounding the Hacienda Napoles ranch, and not the ones inside the ranch. Officials said that the ones living inside the branch are in a controlled environment and don’t threaten the local ecosystem.
Apart from that, Ecuador, the Philippines and Botswana have also expressed their willingness to receive the relocated Colombian hippos, the Antioquia Governor’s Office said in a statement.
(With inputs from agencies)
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