PABLO Escobar’s horny “completely out of control” hippos are multiplying so rapidly that experts worry they could total 1,400.
Since the notorious kingpin was shot to death by cops in Medellín in 1993, officials have been working tirelessly to halt the randy animal from breeding.
AFPColombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot in 1993 but his hippos still pose issues[/caption]
AFPEscobar kept aggressive animals like hippos at his Hacienda Napoles estate[/caption]
While the infamous Colombian drug lord raked in millions selling coke and enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle, he also maintained a bizarre menagerie displaying intimidating animals like imported hippos.
The hair-raising herd, now nearly 170 strong, was bred in the wild from four original hippos who escaped after the cocaine king was shot dead 30 years ago.
Alarmingly, experts say their population could now rise to over 1,400 by 2035 if their numbers go unchecked.
Francisco Sánchez, an environmental official, told The Guardian: “They’ll get all the way to the sea, because they will just follow the Magdalena River.
“It’s completely out of control.”
Now scientists fear the hippos’ excrement could threaten fish species in Colombia too.
One hippo produces up to a whopping 20lbs of waste in a day.
In Africa, where the beast originates, its faeces provided key nutrients for fish and rivers and lakes to feed on.
However, the dung has reached toxic levels and killed some life that used to thrive off its nutrients.
San Diego State University ecologist Rebecca Lewison told The Guardian: “If I lived in Colombia, I would be worried.
“Colombia has great biodiversity, and this is not a system that has evolved to support a mega-herbivore.”
Experts have considered many approaches over the years in a bid to exterminate the deadly animal not native to Latin America.
In 1998, the Colombian government seized control of Escobar’s Hacienda Napoles estate and transferred the majority of his animals to domestic zoos.
But not all of them made the cut – some were too dangerous to relocate and several have since multiplied and ruined crop, including three females and one male.
Experts are keen to castrate wild hippos despite public outcry at their previous attempt to slaughter the beasts.
Last year, Colombia‘s Environment Minister Susana Muhamad announced that they intended to solve the issue.
She said a culling programme would run alongside a sterilisation one sending the randy beasts to new homes in other countries.
But since then no action has been taken.
The terrifying creatures were rounded up last year but wildlife specialists bemoan that they’re still awaiting permits to move over 70 of them.
Escobar’s personal zoo housed an array of animal species in addition to hippos.
At the peak of his drug empire he employed over a staggering 1,000 house staff and even had a bullring and theme park in his Hacienda Napoles estate.
APColombian scientists fear their poop could wipe out fish species like they have in Africa[/caption]