Colombia has a hippopotamus problem – thanks to Pablo Escobar
- Authorities worried that descendants of the four hippos brought to country by infamous drug lord could attack people
- One option being considered is to sterilise the animals to stop them from breeding
Maria Jaramilla awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of her panicked mule. When she looked out across her small yard, her confusion turned to shock: a hippopotamus had wandered down her driveway and was inspecting her house.
“It was a big fright for all of us,” said Jaramilla, 41.
Since that night in 2018, the hippos have kept coming – wandering down the backstreets of rural Doradal, a small Colombian town a four-hour drive from Medellin. Occasionally a hippopotamus will appear on the local soccer pitch to graze.
An estimated 80 hippopotamuses, perhaps more, live in the area around the Rio Magdalena, Colombia’s principal river, which runs through the centre of the country. They’re descendants of four hippos that were brought to the country by infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar for his personal collection.
The rapid growth of their numbers has authorities worried that residents could be attacked – the 3-tonne animals can be aggressive and kill more people per year in Africa than any other wildlife species. Scientists also worry that their presence threatens the area’s native flora and fauna.
In the 1980s, during the height of his power, Escobar kept the hippos in a private zoo on his 5,500-acre (2,225-hectare) estate, Hacienda Napoles, where he kept a private zoo stocked with exotic animals such as elephants and giraffes.