Pablo Escobar's 'cocaine hippos' declared 'invasive' with big population spike predicted
dailystar.co.ukPablo Escobar's "cocaine hippos " have been declared an "invasive species" amid fears that the population of the illegal animals could spike over the next ten years.
The hippos, which Escobar had illegally imported to create his infamous drug-baron animal kingdom, have lived in Colombia for decades.
Four hippos were first imported by the kingpin, but now there are as many as 90 "cocaine" hippos roaming the banks of the Magdalena River, with estimates suggesting that up to 700 hippos could make the riverbank their new habitat.Officials have decided to call the species "invasive" due to the impact the hippos are having on the local life.Reports of dangers to public life and to the local biodiversity have prompted government officials in Colombia to declare the species an invasive one.Environment Minister Carlos Eduardo Correa said: "We have been working with scientific and rigorous information on the roadmap for decision-making regarding control and management measures for this species in Colombia."The management measures have seen new recommendations alongside the declaration of the hippos as an invasive species, with an update to the census for the animal.Enhanced monitoring of the wild animals is also set to be introduced, with ways of tracking the animal's movements with drones expected.The turnaround in declaring the hippos invasive to the environment comes after the Alexander von Humboldt Institute estimates that, within a decade, 700 hippos will inhabit the lowlands of the Magdalena river.Basing their decision on a recent study carried out by biological resource institute and the Institute of Natural Sciences of the National University, a decision was made on the future of the hippos.
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