Offspring of Pablo Escobar's 'cocaine hippos' slated to die may get second chance in India
Wild hippos -- descendants from a small herd introduced by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar -- eat grass as they roam near houses in Doradal, Antioquia Department, Colombia, on April 23, 2023, close to the Hacienda Napoles theme park, once the private zoo
Dozens of condemned hippopotami that descended from ones owned by onetime drug kingpin Pablo Escobar may get a second chance to live, thanks to a new offer from an animal rescue halfway around the world.
Big picture view:
The Colombian government previously approved a plan that would allow the culling of approximately half of the estimated 170 hippopotami roaming freely through the South American nation.
On Tuesday, the animal rescue Vantara posted to Instagram that the organization submitted a plan that would move 80 of the hippos to its facility in western India. The number proposed matched the one Colombia’s Environment Minister Irene Vélez indicated would be killed.
What they're saying:
"These eighty hippos did not choose where they were born, nor did they create the circumstances they now face," the organization wrote in its post. "They are living, sentient beings, and if we have the ability to save them through a safe alternative solution, we have a responsibility to try."
The backstory:
The hippos’ ancestors first came to Colombia when Escobar imported them for a private zoo that he was building in Hacienda Nápoles, a ranch in the Magdalena River valley. The animals have made it as far as 60 miles away. They are the only wild hippopotamus population in South America, threatening villagers and displacing native species as they spread.
Officials explain that the hippos cannot return to Africa, either. Their limited gene pool and the potential diseases they may carry have made such a move unfeasible.
What's next:
Vantara’s public statement did not provide specific details about the proposal. However, it did state that the plan is fully resourced and would be done under the direction of Colombian authorities.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the Associated Press and Vantara’s Instagram page. This story was reported from Orlando.