Colombian authorities are studying the possibility of sending hippos to India, Mexico, and Ecuador after they became an invasive species following their clandestine introduction to the country by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s.
Mr. Escobar, who was killed in a 1993 raid after years of evading Colombian and U.S. authorities, built an empire of luxurious properties, including the famous 3,000-hectare Hacienda Nápoles estate in Antioquía, near the city of Medellín.
Among the features of Hacienda Nápoles were a private airport, a brothel, a racetrack, and a vast zoo with animals brought from all over the world. When Mr. Escobar died, many of the animals ended up causing problems for local ecosystems, migrating and breeding throughout the region, and attacking humans and other species.
“They have told us in India that they can take up to 60 hippos, while Mexico has capacity for another 10, and Ecuador could keep two more,” David Echeverry, who heads the region’s Office of Biodiversity Management, said yesterday.
The Ostok Animal Protection & Sanctuary Foundation is behind the move, which has the backing of Antioquia Governor Aníbal Gaviria and is awaiting approval from national authorities.
“We know how to capture and confine them, all we need is to manage the logistics of transportation,” Governor Gaviria added.
Mr. Escobar’s brutal, violent exploits achieved near-legendary status in Colombia and around the world, and have been portrayed in books, movies, and TV series. But the fall of his empire did not put an end to the country’s drug violence, which continues to this day.
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