 | Colombia will capture and transport 70 hippopotamuses to India and Mexico. It will cost $3.5 million. There are now between 130 and 160 of the hippos which took up residence in the Magdalena River watershed. Unchecked, they could proliferate to 1,500 in 16 years. Various schemes to curb the hippos breeding have proven expensive and ineffective. There is no political will for a cull of the beloved tourist attractions. “If we don’t do anything, 20 years from now the problem will have no solution.” |
| After the Colombian government added Escobar's cocaine hippos to a list of 'introduced, invasive species,' experts say killing them may be the only viable option. Attempts to sterilize the animals is going poorly, is expensive, and is extremely difficult with something which can weigh as much as 1.8 tons. "Sacrifice (culling) remains on the table," said David Echeverri, head of the Cornare state environmental agency in charge of the sterilization effort. Studies suggest they could quadruple their population of 130 in 10 years if left unchecked. |
 | At his zenith in the 1990s Pablo Escobar was one of the richest men in the world. With income peaking at more than $30 billion, the kingpin spent lavishly on his sprawling estates. The excesses of Hacienda Nápoles included a zoo stocked with exotic animals from around the world. Escobar brought four hippos to his estate before he was shot dead in 1993. They bred and multiplied. |  Relocation isn’t simple, they are up to 3,000 pounds, territorial and extremely dangerous. |
 | 24 of the hippos have been given a chemical that makes them infertile. The 'cocaine hippos' were sterilized after worries grew over their environmental impact. The decision to neutralize the herd’s breeding comes after a study concluded they were a hazard. |  |
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The ecological impact of Escobar's hippos is still largely unknown. Hippos have a lifespan of 50 years and spend most of their day under water in groups. They are notorious for being territorial and extremely dangerous. They are one of the most aggressive animals on the planet.  |
