Colombian authorities are evaluating the possibility of sending the 72 hippos born in the central region of the country as a result of the illegal importation of three females and one male by drug trafficker Pablo Escobar to India, Mexico and Ecuador in 1984.
The export of these animals – which are considered an invasive species – is part of a control plan, as the region’s animal numbers are expected to continue to increase if left unchecked and biologists warn about the alteration of the local ecosystem. This is because hippopotamus droppings, which reproduce uncontrollably, change the composition of nearby rivers, affecting fish, capybaras and other species.
These animals were part of the zoo that Pablo Escobar illegally built over 40 years ago at his “Hacienda Nápoles” (Naples Farm) in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia.
The trader imported hundreds of exotic animals from all over the world. However, after his death in 1993, the farm was abandoned and the hippos fled, quickly adapting to the favorable terrain conditions and the waters of the Magdalena River.
Now, 60 hippos are expected to be exported to India, 10 to Mexico and two to Ecuador.
Source: DN
