Pablo Escobar's, Cocaine Hippos Are Being Sterilised

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Pablo Escobar's, Cocaine Hippos Are Being Sterilised

Pablo Escobar's illegally imported hippos have been sterilised by the Colombian government after fears that they were 'multiplying' and could have a negative effect on the surrounding environment.

A group of hippos, part of the infamous legacy of notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, have been sterilised.

Escobar illegally imported a range of exotic animals during his crime spree, including a male and female hippo, commonly known as the "cocaine hippos".
Known as 'cocaine hippos,' the herd has grown from a population of 35 in 2012 to 80 this year and is thought to be the largest herd outside of Africa.

Researchers are worried that the herd could grow as large as 1,500 in the next two decades though if they're breeding isn't controlled.

Previous plans to cull the herd received widespread opposition from the local population, so now a local environment agency has started sterilising them, using drugs from Washington, USA.

Governmental group Cornare said it had already sterilised 24 of the animals using a contraceptive drug called GonaCon. The sterilisation of hippos is made more difficult by the fact that they have internal testicles.

Whilst most of Escobar's exotic animals were sent to zoos after his death in 1993, the hippos were left to roam on his ranch before their offspring spread to the Magdalena wetlands.

But they have toxic urine and faeces that causes algae blooms and have the potential to wreak havoc on the local ecosystem, polluting waterways and dominating other species as they have no predators to control their numbers. 

The ecologist had called for 30 hippos a year to be culled. But local populations have grown to love the hippos, with their tourism appeal also providing livelihoods for locals who give safari tours and sell hippo-related souvenirs.

Despite calling for “urgent” population control of the hippos in their study, published in the journal Biological Conservation, the researchers noted that “the proposal of a course of action can become controversial when the species has a charismatic value for the society, regardless of its ecological or social impact”.

Escobar was killed by Colombian National Police in his hometown a day after his 44th birthday in 1993.

The Colombian government have now sterilised 24 of more than 80 animals that were illegally imported by the former drug lord, making them infertile.