[ad_1]
A gaggle of hippos previously owned by drug lord Pablo Escobar are set to quickly depart South America.
Colombia plans to maneuver about 70 of the so-called cocaine hippos to India and Mexico, according to a tweet Thursday from the governor of Antioquia province, the place the mammals are situated. Although some researchers have advised the hippos might be restoring Colombia’s ecosystem, they’re nonetheless thought-about an invasive species.
The animals, descendants of 4 African hippos illegally imported by Escobar within the Nineteen Eighties, turned a vacationer attraction after he was killed by police in 1993. Nevertheless, their inhabitants has since grown to greater than 130 within the Antioquia space, settling far past Escobar’s Hacienda Nápoles ranch.
Environmental authorities estimate this quantity may climb to 400 within the subsequent eight years, fueling the push to maneuver the hippos to international sanctuaries, in keeping with an Related Press report Friday.
“It’s doable to do, we have already got expertise relocating hippos in zoos nationwide,” David Echeverri López, a spokesperson for the Cornare environmental authority enterprise the trouble, instructed the outlet.
![The hippos are reportedly threatening local biodiversity and crowding out other animals.](https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/64038c092600005c0083d381.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale)
RAUL ARBOLEDA by way of Getty Pictures
Lina Marcela de los Ríos Morales, director of animal safety and welfare in Antioquia’s surroundings ministry, instructed the AP that these relocations will solely have an effect on hippos residing exterior Escobar’s ranch — and never in its managed surroundings.
This mission, reportedly brewing for greater than a yr, marks an enormous shift from Colombia’s preliminary plan to sterilize or kill the animals — which spurred a lawsuit that made them the primary nonhuman creatures to be legally thought-about folks by a U.S. court docket.
Hippos are removed from sociable, nonetheless, and yearly kill 500 people of their native Africa, in keeping with Nationwide Geographic. The extremely territorial animal can weigh 1000’s of kilos, with a chew practically thrice stronger than a lion’s.
The hippos exterior Escobar’s ranch are additionally threatening the biodiversity of native rivers with their feces. The booming inhabitants has been crowding out different animals like manatees and capybaras, prompting the necessity for determined measures.
![Pablo Escobar's hippos have moved beyond the limits of his ranch and into local rivers.](https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/64038c5c2300006600e1588d.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale)
Juancho Torres/Anadolu Company/Getty Pictures
The plan is to lure the hippos into iron containers to drive them to José María Córdova Worldwide Airport in Rionegro, 94 miles away. Sixty will probably be flown to the Greens Zoological Rescue & Rehabilitation Kingdom in Gujarat, India, whereas 10 will head for zoos in Mexico.
Although some have reportedly described the animals as “village pets,” others are relieved to see the hippos go. Antioquia native Álvaro Molina, as an illustration, instructed AP he was as soon as attacked by a hippo whereas fishing.
[ad_2]
Source link