Colombian native authorities contemplate sending 70 wild hippos to Mexico and India

To cut back the inhabitants of untamed hippos in Colombia, authorities of the division of Antioquia are contemplating sending among the animals overseas. Introduced in illegally by former drug trafficker Pablo Escobar, the nation declared hippos an invasive species final yr.

Aníbal Gaviria, the governor of the Colombian division Antioquia, on March 1, they have been engaged on the switch of untamed hippos exterior the nation with Mexican companions.

Antioquia, and extra exactly close to Puerto Triunfo and the Magdalena river, is house to roughly 130 hippos, a species native from Africa that has been prospering a lot in Colombia within the final a long time the nation declared hippos an invasive species final yr.

4 hippos, three males and one feminine, have been initially introduced in illegally to Colombia in 1984 by former drug trafficker Pablo Escobar to his ranch, the Hacienda Nápoles, close to Puerto Triunfo.

The ranch was deserted for years after the police killed Mr. Escobar in 1993. Nevertheless, hippos survived, reproduced, and settled in native rivers having fun with favorable weather conditions and no predators to prey on younger ones.

Pablo Escobar’s Hacienda Nápoles has now became a theme park, together with a water park and an animal sanctuary internet hosting wild animals from monkeys, parrots, elephants, and zebras to hippos.

However hippos started displaying up within the wild a decade in the past round Puerto Triunfo, a 17,000-people city close to Magdalena river. Colombia is the one nation exterior Africa the place hippos reside within the wild.

Scientists warned they’re a possible drawback for biodiversity, may influence the habitat of native species, and turn out to be a menace to crops and people. Hippos are thought-about probably the most harmful animals to people, though only some accidents have been recorded thus far in Colombia.

In forty years, the inhabitants of untamed hippos is estimated to have reached greater than 130 and is projected to be 400 in eight years.

Consequently, in March final yr, the ministry of Surroundings declared hippos invasive species in Colombia, which might enable the allocation of economic sources from the nationwide authorities to handle the inhabitants. However a yr later, other than an experimental program of immuno-castration and the sterilization of a feminine by ovariectomy, there may be but to be a transparent plan to regulate a inhabitants scattered in an increasing number of areas.

So, final week, two Mexicans very lively on their social media channels, Ernesto and Amado Zazueta, shared they visited the world to “rescue the invasive hippos.”

The daddy and son handle the Ostok Animal Safety & Sanctuary positioned within the State of Sinaloa in Mexico. Ernesto Zazueta can also be the president of Azcarm, a civil affiliation engaged on wildlife preservation with zoos.

They met Lina Marcela De Los Rios, in command of the safety and welfare of animals in Antiquiotia’s Secretariat of Surroundings and Sustainability, and the Cornare, a neighborhood atmosphere safety entity engaged on the administration of the hippos, to debate an answer for the animals.

The 2 Mexicans confirmed their curiosity in transferring 70 hippos to Mexico and India, according to the governor on March 2 (he talked about 60 hippos throughout an Meeting assembly the day earlier than). Ten hippos can be despatched to their sanctuary in Mexico. They’d ship the 60 different animals to a different park in India.

The switch prices, in accordance with tough estimates from the Cornare, may quantity to 1 million {dollars}.

Mr. Gaviria now pushes for approval from the ministry of the Surroundings and the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) to make these potential unprecedented strikes a actuality. However transferring wild animals into parks or coping with personal events will be controversial.

Nevertheless, such a switch would require huge logistics work and preparation, and the method continues to be in an early section because the Zazuetas have solely shared their intentions in taking the hippos for now. Nothing has materialized but, stated Cornare biologist David Echeverri to El Colombiano.

Individuals from Ecuador or India already did the identical with out going any additional.

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