COLOMBIA: Anibal Gaviria, the governor of Colombia's Antioquia department in the country's northwest, announced on Thursday that the country intends to "translocation" about 70 of its so-called "cocaine hippos" abroad.
Arguably the most bizarre legacy of Pablo Escobar, the animals will be transported to Mexico and India.
According to Gaviria of nearby Blue Radio, there are currently 130 to 160 hippos living in Colombia. In the first half of this year, the governor said, 60 hippos are scheduled to go to India and 60 animals, a mix of males and females, are scheduled to go to Mexico.
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The hippos will be flown into their new habitat in specially constructed "crates," according to Gaviria. He added that the new host countries "have the capacity to receive them.
To properly accommodate them and control their reproduction," noting that New Delhi has primarily funded the looming operation.
With regard to Colombia in particular, the relocation would significantly reduce the current hippo population, making it easier for the government to control the remaining animals after a long struggle.
Gaviria claims that "to safeguard the animals, control their reproduction and the risk to the population," the government wants to create a sanctuary for hippos in the country.
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The hippo problem in Colombia dates back to the 1980s, when Escobar smuggled one male and three female animals for the private zoo at his Hacienda Napoles ranch, which housed a variety of exotic and illegal species.
After the drug lord was killed in a shootout with police in 1993, all of the animals were relocated by authorities, with the exception of the hippo, which was deemed too large and difficult to transport.
If left unchecked, the "cocaine hippopotamus" thrives in the country's moist and hot climate, spreading far beyond Escobar's former ranch.
The animals, commonly referred to as "cocaine hippos", quickly became an environmental hazard and a serious threat to local people, making Colombia the only country in the world where they were found.
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A 2021 study found that, if unchecked, the hippo population could increase to about 1,500 individuals. Environmentalists cautioned against moving hippos to Africa at the same time, saying that doing so would potentially be harmful to both the hippos and native African animals, who could be exposed to foreign diseases.