Pablo Escobar: Why scientists want to kill Colombia's hippos

[EX500rider]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56011594

A group of hippos originally imported by Escobar to his private zoo decades ago has multiplied and, according to scientists, is now spreading through one of the country's main waterways - the River Magdalena. Last month, a study published in the Biological Conservation journal said culling the animals was the only way to mitigate their environmental impact.
"It is obvious that we feel sorry for these animals, but as scientists we need to be honest," Colombian biologist Nataly Castelblanco, one of the study's authors, told the BBC. "Hippos are an invasive species in Colombia and if we do not kill a part of their population now, the situation could be out of control in just 10 or 20 years."

The rise of the so-called "cocaine hippos" began in 1993 after authorities killed Pablo Escobar and seized his luxury estate Hacienda Napoles, about 250km (155 miles) north-west of the capital Bogotá.
Animals found there were distributed to zoos across the country, but not the hippos. "It was logistically difficult to move them around, so the authorities just left them there, probably thinking the animals would die," Ms Castelblanco said.
Instead, they thrived.

Over the years, scientists have tried to calculate how many hippos are living in Colombia's waterways, with estimates ranging from 80 to 120 animals. "It is the biggest hippo herd outside Africa, which is their native region," veterinarian and conservationist Carlos Valderrama told the BBC

This is not the first group of scientists to call for a cull. But some experts oppose the idea. Enrique Ordoñez, a biologist at Colombia's National University, said the "cocaine hippos" offered hope to preserve global hippo numbers. They are considered a vulnerable species by NGOs such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
A sterilisation program would be a better way to control their population, he told CNN.
But such procedures are far from simple - or cheap - and Carlos Valderrama has experience of this. In 2009, he performed a castration of a male "cocaine hippo" as part of an experiment to study options to control the growing population.
"We are talking about an animal that can weigh five tonnes and be very aggressive," Mr Valderrama said. "Even though we had sedated the animal, it almost tipped the crane we were using to help with the procedure. It was like being with a dinosaur in a Jurassic Park movie."
The veterinarian said the main lesson of the experiment was that castration alone was simply not an option - especially considering the $50,000 (£36,000) bill. Official government statistics show only four animals underwent sterilisation between 2011 and 2019.

[TDale313]

1. ☹️

Don’t kill the hippos ☹️ I know, they are probably a problem, but hate the idea they are gonna be killed cause the humans screwed things up.

[EX500rider]

4. The issue is their is no seasonal drought or predators like in Africa..

...so their numbers will rapidly increase, driving out local species and becoming a large threat to the local human population.

[Johnny2X2X]

5. Yeah, this could be an ecological disaster

1,400 by 2034 could be 100,000 a couple decades after that. This is a highly destructive animal. Many native species will suffer if they are allowed to become a dominant speices.

[FSogol]

2. What they should do is send one to each little girl that wants one for Christmas.

Problem solved.

[theneworiginal]

7. Perfect. There it is. Working together to solve problems.

Love it! LOL

[pandr32]

3. I had no idea, so thanks!

I read the article and there is a link within that argues that the hippos are a good thing--not bad.
It is amazing how a species threatened in one part of the world can flourish in another.
I really hope scientists consider both sides of the issue carefully before they attempt a cull.

Again, thanks!

[hack89]

8. Hippos are extremely dangerous

They kill more people in Africa than lions, crocodiles and other dangerous animals.

[pandr32]

9. They are dangerous

...and large.

[Hortensis]

6. Lol, unexpected humor in the problems with castrating bull hippos.

Didn't even GUESS that would be tried as a first option.

Sounds like we need science to the rescue. Since these bad-tempered and very aggressive 3-4000 pound monsters aren't killing many people yet, perhaps chemical castration/contraception would allow them to live out their half-century lifespans.

[EX500rider]

10. Yeah would be nice if they could figure out a birth control method...

....out right killing them might have adverse reactions to Colombia's tourism industry while have some wild hippos could be a plus, I'd love to go see them in the wild.

[Hortensis]

11. True, but it's a very poor country, and maybe tourists should find less

dangerous and exploitative of desperation sights than hippos allowed to roam areas where people live. Maybe on wilderness trips far up rivers, etc.

If indigenous people or drug workers in the wilds were killed, we probably wouldn't know, but at least they'd presumably be more able to avoid danger areas than those living in towns where hippos were encouraged to draw tourists. Of course in towns, given the profits to be protected, we also might not know if someone's been killed or horribly injured.