At least 70 hippopotamuses (hippos) that Pablo Escobar, a Colombian drug lord, brought illegally from Africa in the 1980s and are now living close to his former ranch may be moved to India and Mexico as part of a strategy by local authorities to regulate their number. The local government has reportedly struggled to maintain these hippos, who are also alleged to be endangering the environment in the area.
It is said that because they lack a natural predator in Colombia, their faeces are hurting manatees, capybaras, and other creatures by altering the makeup of neighbouring waterways. They are presently residing in the Hacienda Napoles property, which is situated along the Magdalena River 200 kilometres from Bogota. According to estimates from local authorities, there are roughly 130 hippos in the region of Antioquia Province, and their number may increase to 400 in eight years. The government of Colombia designated them a harmful invasive species last year.
The intention is to send them to the rivers that surround the Hacienda Napoles ranch
According to Lina Marcela de los Ros Morales, head of animal protection and welfare at Antioquia’s environment ministry, the Colombian environment authority has over the years developed a strategy with counterparts in India and Mexico to rehome a number of these hippos. Officials from Mexico and India have not yet commented on this issue.
It is suggested that 60 of the 70 hippos be sent to Gujarat, India’s Greens Zoological Rescue & Rehabilitation Kingdom. India would cover the cost of the containers and airlift, according to De los Ros Morales. Ten more hippos would go to Mexican zoos and wildlife refuges like the Ostok in Sinaloa.
Instead of sending the hippos inside the ranch, the intention is to send them to the rivers that surround the Hacienda Napoles ranch. The ones living inside the branch, according to officials, are in a controlled setting and pose no damage to the nearby ecosystem. In addition, Ecuador, the Philippines, and Botswana have also stated that they would be happy to take in the relocated Colombian hippos, according to a statement from the Antioquia Governor’s Office.