Endangered in Africa and Invasive in Columbia
Keeping a menagerie of exotic pets takes a lot of money. Pablo Escobar, the late Colombian drug Lord, had a lot of money.
Escobar imported hippos among other exotic animals, such as rhinos, elephants, giraffes, and ostriches for his private zoo on his ranch in the Colombian rainforest. After his death, some of these abandoned hippos escaped and have been breeding in the wild in Colombia, where they have no natural predators. The hippo population has now increased from the original four to over 140. These thriving hippos cause problems in this ecosystem since their feces changes the biochemical composition of the rivers. This waste damages the habitats of native species like manatees and capybaras, a semi-aquatic relative of the guinea pig. They also crowd out native species animal, consume large amounts of the vegetation, and sometimes attack people. This creates the odd situation where an endangered species in its native ecosystem is a prolific invasive species in another.
Colombian officials are considering various methods to manage the hippo population. Hunting was initially considered a practical solution, but it was banned after animal rights activists protested the killing of a hippo. Neutering the hippos was another option. However, it was impractical because of the high cost and complexity of the procedure. Also, most sensible people declined the jobs. Oddly, no one wanted to get near the sensitive body parts of these animals that kill more humans each year than any other animal in Africa.
Ernesto Zazueta, who runs an animal sanctuary in Mexico, proposed a plan to airlift approximately 70 hippos to sanctuaries in India and Mexico. This plan involves capturing the hippos, building special cages, and transporting them via aircraft at a cost of $1 million per flight. Colombian officials have agreed to this plan on the condition that the expenses are covered by private donors. However, this plan would only remove about half of the hippos.
The hippos have become quite comfortable in Colombia, often wandering through neighborhoods and across highways, which has led to accidents. Two people have been mauled by hippos, and there are concerns that the situation could worsen if not addressed. Scientists predict that if no significant measures are taken, the hippo population in Colombia could exceed 1,500 by 2040.
Environmentalists and naturalists are familiar with the cautionary tales of rabbits and cane toads in Australia. The English imported the rabbits for game and Australian farmers imported the cane toads to eat beetles harming their crops. Both species got wildly out of control. But cocaine hippos are the largest invasive species I know of.