Hippos brought to Colombia as part of Escobar’s private zoo on his farm, Hacienda Napoles, have been bred so successfully that there are serious concerns about their impact on the environment and human safety, according to a new study by Mexican researchers. and Colombian universities.
The hippos have spread from their original home some 160 kilometers east of the city of Medellin, in the Antioquia department, and are spreading around the Magdalena basin as their population continues to grow steadily.
The authors of the study, published in the January issue of the journal Biological Conservation, recommend that the hippos be culled to avoid long-term negative effects, but other scientists are calling for a neutering program to keep the hippo population in check, citing concerns about animals. well-being and the attachment of some local residents to their new neighbors.
In the 1980s, Escobar imported one male and three female hippos to join his menagerie. After his death, other types of exotic animals were moved, but the hippos were left because they were difficult to catch and transport, according to the study.
The hippos soon began to spread in the area, but the government’s efforts to clear them were halted after a public outcry.
Instead, a sterilization campaign has begun, but it has not slowed the hippo’s progress.
From 2011 to 2019, four males were neutered and two females neutered, but this “does not appear to have a significant effect on reproduction,” the study said.
Researchers say there are likely more than 80 hippos in the area today, up from 35 in 2012, and they fear the hippos will spread throughout Colombia if no action is taken.
The study also cites research showing the negative effects of hippo waste on oxygen levels in water bodies, which can affect fish and ultimately humans, and raises concerns about the potential transmission of hippo disease to humans.
Hippos also pose a threat to the livelihood and safety of people in affected areas, the study said, eating or damaging crops and engaging in aggressive interactions with humans.
The researchers cite incidents of hippos chasing humans, as well as a hippo attack in May 2020 that seriously injured a 45-year-old man.
But while the study authors recommend a cull, Enrique Zerda Ordóñez, a biologist at the National University of Colombia, believes spay programs are the way forward.
Killing hippos would be an “easy option,” Zerda said, but it could affect the survival of a species under threat in Africa.
While neutering hippos is not an easy task, he said, he believes it is both possible and necessary to do so now, before their numbers rise further, according to a university press release.
“At the moment the authorities do not consider the species to be a problem,” said Zerda, “but in the future, when there are 400-500 hippos, it could threaten the survival of other species that feed on the. same areas. ”
David Echeverri Lopez, head of forests and biodiversity at the regional environmental agency CORNARE, told CNN the situation is delicate.
“The possibility of killing them has always been on the table,” he said. “However, it is very difficult to imagine that this could be happening at this point.”
While the hippos are an invasive species that can completely alter local ecosystems, the people in the area have become accustomed to them, Echeverri said. They have become a tourist attraction that people feel some affection for, he added.
Some hippos will have to be killed because it is “practically impossible” to locate and move or sterilize them.
“But there are some other animals that are in certain areas, lakes and places where a birth control plan can be drawn up, assuming adequate resources are available,” said Echeverri, who works with the NGO Animal Balance. to find alternative solutions.