From one male and three females, drug lord Pablo Escobar's herd of hippos grew to more than 200, threatening the local ecosystem.
Hippo poaching is a difficult problem for Colombia to solve. Photo: Depositphotos
Though long dead, notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar is still causing trouble in Colombia with his herd of hippos. In 1981, Escobar illegally imported a male and three female hippos ( Hippopotamus amphibius ) from a zoo in the United States and brought them to his ranch in Hacienda Nápoles. After Escobar died in 1993, the herd was largely left to reproduce and disperse into surrounding areas, creating a healthy population along the Magdalena River.
According to a new study by Colombia's Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, in collaboration with US and local scientists, the number of hippos is now twice as high as initially estimated, possibly up to 215, New Atlas reported on June 5.
In 2020, the estimated population of hippos was 98. But now scientists warn that number could reach 1,500 by 2035, partly because they live in relative safety thanks to a hunting ban and a lack of natural predators. The team also found that about 37% of the population are calves, meaning they may be reproducing earlier and more frequently. Hippos are typically fertile for most of their lives, around 40 to 50 years.
Researchers at the National University of Colombia, the Humboldt Institute and Cornare, the environmental agency that manages the hippo’s habitat, have been trying to count them. Not only are the animals dangerous to approach, they are also nocturnal, travel long distances and spend up to 16 hours in the water, making counting extremely difficult.
The explosion in numbers shows how adaptable hippos are despite their limited gene pool. However, they have a huge impact on their natural environment, eating up to 50 kg of vegetation per day. They are also threatening native species. For example, the West Indian manatee ( Trichechus manatus ), the Latin American otter ( Lontra longicaudis ) and the capybara ( Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris ) struggle to compete with hippos for food. River banks are also being severely eroded as hippos, which can weigh up to 3.5 tonnes, roam in and on the banks. Rivers are also being polluted by their large amounts of waste.
The hippo spay was carried out in 2011, but only 10 males have been sterilized due to cost and logistical issues. Since 2021, 24 more have been injected with GonaCon, a birth control vaccine, via dart.
The culling of hippos is also controversial. “There is a moral burden with the decision to kill hippos. But the burden of the other decision – inaction – is much greater,” said ecologist Rafael Moreno.
Thu Thao (According to New Atlas )
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