Scientists call to kill Pablo Escobar’s hippos to prevent invasion and expansion in South America

In the 1980s, drug trafficker Pablo Escobar illegally introduced different species of exotic animals to Colombia: one of them was the common hippopotamus (hippopotamus amphibius, its scientific name), which to this day has invaded the Magdalena river basin and scientists call for their eradication.

Originally from Africa, it has been considered the largest invasive animal in the world and experts fear the situation will eventually get out of hand. The scientific report was published online on December 26 last year and can be read in full at SciendeDirect.

According to a population viability model (PVA) that scientists developed, due to an “absence of intense sacrificial pressure, the population size will continue to increase steadily, which is consistent with growth.” population observed during the last 20 years “.

In addition, and according to projections made after the survey, “The potential habitat for colonization of hippos may become very extensive throughout the landscape and may be favored by climate change in the future.

“Our results show the urgent need for the Colombian authorities to make critical management decisions, which should focus on limiting the growth and expansion of the hippo population,” they said in the text.

Similarly, they clarified: “Ignoring cost-benefit considerations for controlling this invasive species can have unexpected and long-term social and ecological implications. However, the proposal of a course of action can become controversial when the species has a charismatic value for society, regardless of its ecological or social impact ”.

In the report’s findings, they clarified that “the exotic hippo population in Colombia has steadily increased at a rate of 14.5%. This adaptation and propagation success is probably due to the high availability of resources offered by the Magdalena River basin, combined with the lack of predators or threats of human origin. “

Thinking about the future, they assured that “hippos could colonize the northern part of Colombia in the coming decades, facilitated by the conditions of climate change. Therefore, strategies must be implemented quickly to control the effects expansion of this introduced species “.

And they expanded: “Our projections have indicated that the only course of action that could possibly lead to the extinction of this alien species is to implement high level extraction by culling.”

Finally, they warned: “However, as the hippo is a very charismatic species, this approach is not without controversy. In the short term, there is a need to create robust strategies to communicate to stakeholders and the general public. urgency to monitor this established alien species, as well as to conduct properly designed follow-up studies of this population of introduced hippos. “