[ad_1]
Not less than 70 descendants of the animals smuggled by Pablo Escobar are set to get relocated to India and Mexico
Colombia plans to “translocate” some 70 of its so-called ‘cocaine hippos’ abroad, the governor of the nation’s northwestern division of Antioquia, Anibal Gaviria, introduced on Thursday. The animals, arguably probably the most weird legacy of the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar, will likely be despatched to India and Mexico.
At the moment, Colombia has an estimated inhabitants of 130 to 160 hippos, Gaviria informed native Blu Radio. Some 70 of the animals, a mixture of women and men, are anticipated to be relocated to Mexico and India within the first half of this yr, with the latter nation set to obtain 60 of the hippos, the governor stated.
The hippos will likely be transferred into their new dwelling by airplane, put inside specifically-built ‘crates,’ Gaviria added. The looming operation has been primarily payrolled by New Delhi, he revealed, noting that the brand new host international locations “have the capability to obtain them, to accommodate them correctly and to regulate their copy.”
Relating to Colombia itself, the switch would drastically cut back the present hippo inhabitants, making it simpler for the federal government, long-struggling with the difficulty, to regulate the remaining animals. The authorities are searching for to determine a sanctuary for hippos within the nation, in keeping with Gaviria, to have the ability to safely “hold the animals, management their copy and dangers to the inhabitants.”
![Fake cocaine helps pull off record bust](https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2023.03/xxs/6403bf652030277b26290437.png)
Colombia’s hippo drawback originates within the Nineteen Eighties, when Escobar smuggled 4 animals, one male and three females, for the non-public zoo at his ranch of Hacienda Napoles, stuffed with unique – and unlawful – species. After the drug kingpin was killed in a firefight with police in 1993, all of the animals, apart from the hippos, had been relocated by the authorities, as the big mammals had been deemed too cumbersome and tough to move.
Left alone, the ‘cocaine hippos’ thrived within the nation’s moist and heat local weather, with their inhabitants exploding and spreading nicely past the previous ranch of Escobar. The animals have develop into popularly referred to as the ‘cocaine hippos,’ promptly changing into an environmental hazard and a lethal menace to locals, in addition to making Colombia the one nation outdoors Africa to have a wild hippo pack.
Based on a research, printed again in 2021, the hippo numbers might have ballooned to some 1,500 specimens if left unchecked. On the identical time, environmentalists warned in opposition to a switch of hippos to Africa, because the transfer would seemingly do extra hurt than good, each for the hippos themselves and native African animals, doubtlessly uncovered to overseas illnesses.
You possibly can share this story on social media:
[ad_2]
Source link