Hippopotamus Colombia – Who brought Hippos to Colombia?
Hippos- the giants, native only to Africa, are now running wild in Colombia. Hippopotamus colombia has been a issue of concern to people for several reasons.
Story of Hippopotamus colombia
The story of Colombia’s hippos starts in Villa Napoles, the former estate of Pablo Escobar, who in his heyday had four hippos smuggled there for his private zoo.
Escobar’s ranch housed hundreds of exotic animals including rhinos, elephants, and giraffes. By the 1980s, his cocaine empire made him the wealthiest and most feared drug lord in the world. For Colombia, it was a reign of terror. He’s said to be responsible for some 7,000 deaths.
Around the time Escobar met his death in the early 90s, the government relocated most of the animals but not the hippos who were basically allowed to roam free.
“People forgot the hippos,” said biologist David Echeverri, who works with CORNARE, the environmental agency in charge of tracking and managing the hippos in the region. He estimates there are about 50 or more of them now.
The area where they roam is a paradise for the animals who have no predators and ample food and water. But they’re getting too close to people. It’s not uncommon to spot a three-ton hippo walking around town. Locals call them the “village pets,” but Echeverri said the “dangerous” and “territorial” species is anything but.
In Africa, hippos cause more human deaths than any other large animal. So far, there are no known attacks in Colombia.
The majority of the hippos still live inside Escobar’s former estate, which was turned into a theme park in 2007, but the issue is that they can’t keep them contained. Some have been able to get out which is how they are turning up in other areas. (source)
Hippos are the only African local charities that are now spreading wild in Colombia. Hippopotamus colombia has been an issue of concern to people for several reasons.
The story of the Hippos in Colombia begins with Villa Napoles, the former estate of Pablo Escobar, who, on his biggest day, smuggled four hippos there for his private zoo.
Escobar’s flocks capture hundreds of exotic animals, including rhinoceros, elephants, and giraffes. By the decade of that decade, his cocaine empire had turned him into the world’s richest and most dangerous drug dealer. It was a reign of terror for Colombia. He is said to be responsible for around 100,000,000 deaths.
When Escobar faced his death in the early sixties, the government transferred most animals but not the hippos who were originally allowed to roam free.
“People had forgotten the hippos,” said biologist David Echeverri, who works with Egenar, an environmental agency in charge of tracking and managing hippos in the area. His estimate is now about 50 or more.
The area where they roam is the paradise of animals who have no predators and have enough food and water. However, they are moving closer to humans. It’s not uncommon to see a three-ton hippo walking around the city. Locals call them “village pets” but Aschery says that “endangered” and “regional” species are nothing.
Hippos are causing more deaths in Africa than other large animals. So far there have been no aggressive attacks in Colombia.
Most hippos still live inside the east estate of Escobar, which was transformed into a theme park in 2007, but the point is they can’t keep it. Some people have been able to get out the way they do in other areas.
Obardan Martinez runs a theme park, where the hippos are the main attraction. According to Martinez, the only place in Colombia you’ll see a pack of hippies in the woods outside of Africa. He also said that hippos are more common in the area than pigs.
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The concern is that hippos have already begun to displace native wildlife, such as Manatee, and are too close for comfort.
Over the past year, fishermen have come across five hippos outside Pablo Jose Mejia theme park. But he did say that they are like dogs – if you know how to treat them, you will be fine.
But the fears of Echeverri, with the growing hippo population, are just a matter of time unless someone is injured and killed until the animals are killed.
Oberdan Martinez runs a theme park there, where the hippos are the main attraction. According to Martinez, Colombia’s the only place you’ll see a pack of hippos in the wild outside of Africa. He also said it’s more common to see a hippo in that area than a pig.
There’s concern the hippos have already started to displace native wildlife, like the manatee, and keep getting too close for comfort.
In the past year, fisherman Pablo Jose Mejia has come across five hippos that ventured outside of the theme park. But he said they’re like dogs – if you know how to deal with them, you’ll be fine.
But Echeverri fears, with an ever-growing hippo population, it’s only a matter of time until someone gets hurt, and killing the animals has proven highly unpopular.
