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When Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was killed in 1993, most of the animals he had imported as pets \u2013 zebras, giraffes, kangaroos and rhinoceroses \u2013 died or were transferred to zoos.<\/p>\n
But not his four hippopotamuses. They thrived. Perhaps a little too well.<\/p>\n
Officials estimate that about 170 hippos, descended from Escobar\u2019s original herd, now roam Colombia, and the population could grow to 1000 by 2035, posing a serious threat to the country\u2019s ecosystem.<\/p>\n
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Hippos float in the lagoon at Hacienda Napoles Park, once the private estate of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n This month, after years of debate about what to do with the voracious herbivores, Colombian officials announced a plan to sterilise some, possibly euthanize others and relocate some to sanctuaries in other countries. On Friday, an official said that four hippos \u2014 two adult females and two juvenile males \u2014 had already been surgically sterilised.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in a race against time in terms of permanent environmental and ecosystem impacts,\u201d Susana Muhamad, Colombia\u2019s environmental minister, said in a statement.<\/p>\n Colombian officials describe the hippos as an aggressive and invasive species with no natural predators.<\/p>\n A girl poses for a photo on a statue of a hippo at the entrance of Hacienda Napoles.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n Escobar brought the first four to his lavish estate, Hacienda N\u00e1poles, in the 1980s as part of a wild animal menagerie he used to entertain guests.<\/p>\n After Escobar was killed in a rooftop shootout with security forces in Medellin in 1993, his hippos fended for themselves. They waddled into an artificial pond and reproduced, drawing affection and ire as their numbers multiplied.<\/p>\n A hunting party that included Colombian soldiers, hoping to stop the hippos from spreading beyond Escobar\u2019s estate, shot and killed one named Pepe in 2009. The hunt prompted a public outcry. A judge in Medellin later suspended the hunt for Pepe\u2019s mate and their offspring.<\/p>\n Muhamad blamed 30 years of government inaction for allowing the hippos to multiply far from their native habitat in sub-Saharan Africa. She said that 130 to 150 live in the Magdalena River, Colombia\u2019s principal river.<\/p>\n The government\u2019s goal is to sterilise 40 hippos a year, but sterilising a hippo is not like spaying or neutering a cat.<\/p>\n Hippos can weigh more than 2500kg. Experts said they are generally tranquillised with a dart and undergo surgery wherever they land.<\/p>\n Colombian officials say each sterilisation will cost roughly $US10,000 ($15,300) and will require a team of eight people, including veterinarians, technicians and support staff.<\/p>\n Muhamad said the government was also developing an \u201cethical euthanasia protocol\u201d but did not say how many hippos might be targeted or by what method.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n