Colombia sterilizes the hippos of 24 at the former estate of Pablo Escobar, the drug lord. estate.
The authorities announced the following day that 24 of 80 hippopotamuses roaming around the estate of Colombian cocaine lord Pablo Escobar were sterilized owing to the “uncontrolled” expansion of this “invasive” species.
The famous Escobar was known for importing a range of exotic animals at his home, such as the flamingos, giraffes and zebras and kangaroos. However, the murder of his wife by the police in 1993.
Apart from the hippopotamuses all these animals went to the zoos upon his death.
Escobar started his collection by acquiring a hippos with a single female and a male.
They were left alone in the Hacienda Napoles estate which is now transformed to a park for theme parks due to their size. to be moved, but their numbers have increased since the time they were first discovered.
According to a press release from Cornare the regional agency for environmental protection in the northwest region of Colombia Hippos were shot using darts in order to give them a substance known as GonaCon.
“It’s a contraception that works for both men and women” and is cheaper than sterilization surgery as per Cornare.
“However, it’s complicated because experts recommend three doses,” writes the author.
11 hippos were sterilized previously by using methods that are more conventional.
The experts believe that this is the largest population of hippopotamuses and it’s been a source of trouble.
As per David Echeverri, a Cornare expert who was featured in the magazine, “the presence of these creatures in an ecosystem that is not their own has effects such as the displacement of indigenous species.”
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Hippos are also responsible also for “ecosystem disruption” and attacks on fishermen in the area.
In the words of Forbes, Escobar developed a cocaine-trafficking enterprise which made him one of the richest individuals.
Colombia is the top producer of cocaine. A large amount of it being shipped into America. United States, some 30 years after his death.