Court orders culling of Escobar's hippos to protect ecosystem

Pablo Escobar, who was killed in a police raid in December 1993, had accumulated exotic animals on his estate over the years, including giraffes, tigers, antelopes, and hippos. He initially brought only four hippos from Africa. However, after his death, the animals bred in the wild, and according to authorities' forecasts, by 2035, there could be over a thousand of them.

The Ministry of Environment announced a plan last year to sterilize part of the population of this invasive species, also considering the possibility of euthanizing some individuals. However, as the AFP reports, sterilizations are proceeding slowly, and no animal has been euthanized yet. Plans to move dozens of hippos to Mexico, India, and the Philippines have also not yet yielded results.

Finally, the Administrative Court in the Department of Cundinamarca in central Colombia agreed with the complaint filed by a local community representative, who emphasized that the hippos pose a threat to people and the environment. On Friday, September 6, the court issued a verdict on the hippos.

The court ruled that the Ministry of Environment should regulate this matter within three months. As possible remedial measures, the judges listed controlled culling and sterilization of the hippos. It was recognized that as an invasive species, "Escobar's hippos" are displacing native species, and their large size and territorial behaviors worsen the situation.

Hippos can be very aggressive when they feel threatened, and there have already been several reported cases of these animals attacking people in Colombia.

The "Escobar's hippos" issue has sparked a lively discussion in Colombia. In addition to the threats to the population and ecosystem, there are voices from the other side. Some argue that their presence helps the local economy by stimulating tourism.