Colombia’s new plan to curb expansion of Pablo Escobar’s hippopotamuses

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – To control the “uncontrolled” growth of hippopotamuses in Colombia, environmental agencies developed the first immunocastration test on 24 specimens living in the Magdalena Medio region, descendants of Pablo Escobar’s zoo.

The captured hippopotamuses were injected with GonaCon, a drug from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Aphis) of the United States Government (USDA), donated to the Corporación Autónoma Regional de las Cuencas de los Ríos Negro y Nare (Cornare), the Colombian environmental authority.

“It is a contraceptive that is effective in males and females and was initially implemented in the population that is adjacent to the Hacienda Nápoles Theme Park (the place from which Escobar’s hippos escaped),” explained Gina Paola Serna, a veterinarian from Cornare, quoted in a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá.

PABLO ESCOBAR’S PERSONAL ZOO

Pablo Escobar, the powerful boss of the Medellín cartel, imported in 1981, from a zoo in the United States, four hippopotamuses: three females and one male. The drug lord had a collection of exotic animals on a 3,000-hectare farm near the Magdalena River dedicated to tourism.

Over time, the population of this species grew out of control. For this reason, the organizations involved hope that the initiative will be a reference “for the control of the invasive hippopotamus population, a unique case on the planet.”

The number of hippopotamuses and the territory occupied was growing. Some escaped from the ranch and settled along the Magdalena, where the locals could frequent these animals.

With Aphis’ donation, the product was applied to 24 hippos. These hippos are in addition to the 11 that had already been sterilized in the traditional way previously.

Sterilization with GonaCon is less expensive than traditional surgical sterilization, which costs between US$6,600 and US$8,000.

INVASIVE HIPPOS

Currently, 80 hippos have been identified and are distributed in three population groups located in the Magdalena Medio region.

Released from the abandoned hacienda after Pablo Escobar was arrested by the police in 1993, the hippos multiplied. The rest of the animals, such as flamingos, giraffes, zebras, or kangaroos, were sold to zoos.

Experts point out that the narco’s particular legacy could make up the largest herd of hippopotamuses outside Africa and, therefore, an environmental problem in Colombia.

The coordinator of Cornare’s Forests and Biodiversity Group, David Echeverri, explained that “the presence of these animals in an alien ecosystem brings consequences such as displacement of our local fauna, modification of ecosystems and attacks” on fishermen, all because “population growth is out of control.”

“We need to safeguard the ecosystems of the Magdalena Medio, protect our native species and control the hippopotamus population,” Echeverri added.

“The United States is always willing to help countries control invasive animals and plants. So when Cornare called us, we had the experts and the product we thought could help,” said Jeromy McKin, USDA APHIS Agriculture Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia.