Colombia's rogue hippos could find refuge in India

"The hippos are the descendants of four animals brought illegally to Colombia in the 1980's by Pablo Escobar. The notorious drug lord owned a private zoo on a ranch near Doradal, where he also had elephants, giraffes, and zebras. But no one captured the hippos after the Colombian government seized Escobar's properties in 1993. And because of the lack of natural predators, their population exploded."

"Biologist Nataly Castelblanco-Martinez explains that the hippos deposit large amounts of waste in lakes and riverbeds, which can lead to drastic changes in water chemistry. "Including changes in the pH and also less oxygen. So, then all the plants that need oxygen in the water are going to collapse because of this," Castelblanco-Martinez says. With fewer underwater plants, the local food chain suffers."

"In mid-April, Colombia's government announced a plan to control the country's hippo population, including culling up to 80 animals this year. In Doradal, the hippos have become a tourist attractionstatues of the animals are displayed throughout the town. "They are part of our community now," says business owner Tania Galindo. "There's no other place outside of Africa with wild hippos.""

"Some locals now take visitors on hippo safaris, while others sell keyrings, T-shirts, and other souvenirs featuring the semi-aquatic mammal. "The hippos have a transversal impact on the ecosystem," Castelblanco-Martinez adds. The animals’ presence links tourism activity with ecological concerns tied to water quality and habitat change."

Hippos in Doradal, central Colombia, have become a daily attraction as locals and tourists gather at a nearby lake to watch them float. The animals are descendants of four hippos brought illegally in the 1980s to a private zoo on Pablo Escobar’s ranch near Doradal. After the government seized Escobar’s properties in 1993, no one captured the hippos, and the lack of natural predators allowed the population to grow to an estimated 200. Scientists warn that hippos deposit large amounts of waste in lakes and riverbeds, changing water chemistry by lowering oxygen and altering pH, which can collapse underwater plant life and disrupt the food chain. Colombia’s government plans to control the population, including culling up to 80 hippos this year, while many residents view the animals as part of the community and a unique tourism draw.

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