Colombia’s wild hippopotamus population fell by one, after authorities tracked down and shot a male hippo that escaped three years ago from a ranch that belonged to cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar.
When Pablo Escobar was shot and killed by authorities in 1993, he left behind an exotic animal collection that numbered in the hundreds. Zoos took on most of the animals, but a group of nine hippos remained at one of his ranches, where they bred and the population swelled to about two dozen.
Then in 2006, a male and female escaped from the ranch into the wetlands around the Magdalena River. They were occasionally spotted by locals, but for the most part remained elusive, until last month, when they were spotted by journalists.
According to Colombia’s environmental agency, the hippos were ordered to be killed because they carry disease and pose a risk to local communities. The hunt continues for the surviving female and any offspring that may have been produced in the hippos’ three years on the run.
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