A Colombian court has called for the hunting of hippos introduced into the country by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s.
In an effort to tackle the invasive hippopotamus population first introduced to Colombia by drug lord Pablo Escobar, the country’s courts have issued an order stating that the animals can and should be hunted down. The Cundinamarca Administrative Court has told Colombia’s Environment Ministry that it has three months to implement measures to eradicate the hippos, including “controlled hunting and sterilization,” IFL Science September 9 news.
The hippos have become a growing problem for the local community near Escobar’s former ranch in Antioquia state. Since Escobar was shot dead in 1993, hippos from his private zoo have been released into the wild in wooded, predator-free areas. They have bred freely and created the largest population outside of Africa.
From just four hippos smuggled by Escobar, there are now an estimated 166 roaming the region. Colombian authorities have failed to reduce their numbers over the past two decades. If the population continues to grow, one study predicts their numbers could reach 1,418 by 2039. Attacks on fishermen have been reported on the Magdalena River, and many experts fear the manatee population could be threatened. According to BBC Wildlife, hippos kill 500 people a year.
However, animal rights activists and people in the tourism industry oppose hippo hunting. The death of a hippo named Pepe in 2009 sparked outrage in Colombia, with street protests leading to a ban on hippo hunting in 2012.
The administrative court has said that measures to eradicate the hippos should include controlled hunting and sterilization. Last year, Colombia’s environment ministry announced plans to sterilize part of the population and euthanize the rest to stem the population’s rise. Sterilization efforts have been slow, and no euthanasia has been recorded. Plans to relocate the hippos to Mexico, India or Mexico at an estimated cost of $3.5 million are also being considered.