Scientists warn that a rapidly growing population of hippos that was introduced to Colombia decades ago by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar must be eliminated to preserve the local ecosystem, according to a study published this month.
The researchers warned in the study, published in the journal Biological Conservation, that hippos, the “largest invasive animal” in the world, are likely to colonize habitats across the country with serious environmental impact.
Hippos, who are not native to Colombia, were illegally imported in the 1980s by Escobar – the narcoterrorist and drug dealer killed in 1994 – to create a private zoo on his Hacienda Nápoles farm. Although many of Escobar’s animals were relocated after his death, the hippos remained because of the difficulty of capturing them, the study said.
Last year, hippos at Hacienda Naples were concerned about how their faeces affected the water in which they resided, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Animal droppings fertilized the growth of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, and threatened water quality.
“Our models predicted that the worst case scenario would occur if no management strategy was implemented: the population will continue to grow positively, with potential long-term negative ecological and socioeconomic effects,” said the study.
Although authorities have made efforts to sterilize hippos, the animal population in Colombia continues to increase. Hippos have the approval of the local population, who consider them a potential tourist attraction, and are protected by environmental legislation.
The researchers asked Colombian authorities to reconsider their position on the killing of hippos, which is the most effective way to control the population, the study said. The study also insists on the need for public education on the risk of hippos as an invasive species and its potential impact on local livelihoods.
“This knowledge is essential to guide the public’s perception of the social and ecological affects that can face hundreds of thousands of vulnerable rural citizens in Colombia’s most important river basin,” says the study.
Hippos, the largest land animal in the world, after elephants, can weigh up to 3,000 pounds, according to the World Wildlife Foundation. The organization lists them under the status of “vulnerable”.
Normally native to Africa, the hippo was considered vulnerable to habitat loss due to the destruction of human behavior. Hippos are also at risk of hunters because they were excluded from banning or harvesting ivory, says the African Wildlife Foundation. Ivory hunters have been looking for the teeth of hippos, the prey that are the incisors and canines of the species.
