Zero hour is approaching for the hippos left behind by Pablo Escobar’s eccentricity

Pablo Escobar, el fundador del cartel de Medellín in the decade of 1980, también recordado por sus reacciones violas a las fuerzas del orden en Colombia, que incluyeron secuestros, atentados con bombas y asesinatos indiscriminados, es además, responsible for lo que los científicos llaman nail ecological time bomb.

The pivot imported into his private zoo decades ago three male hippos and one female, who after their death were lost in the middle of the Magdalena River. Today it is estimated that the offspring is between 70 and 80 hippos.

According to scientists, they now spread through one of the country’s main waterways: the Magdalena River, where they have become a major impact on the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of Magdalena Medio.

Scientists believe that their presence could affect the local ecosystem in several ways: from the displacement of native species already in danger of extinction, such as the manatee, to the alteration of the chemical composition of rivers, which could endanger fishing.

According to the Humboldt Scientific Research Institute, in a report produced with Javeriana University in 2019, currently these animals occupy an area of ​​1,915 km2, but in less than a decade they could extend up to 13,587 km2 towards the basin of Magdalena, in the north of the country.

The reason why the expansion of the species has been successful is that the Magdalena Medio resembles the natural habitat of the great African rivers. For 30 years, its presence has been registered in Boyacá, Antioquia and Cundinamarca, where four independent companies have not been able to control the exponential growth.

The solution they therefore proposed is to sacrifice the specimens, because according to biologist Nataly Castelblanco, the growth rate of these animals is 14.5% in the country and is already creating strong effects in the region.

However, an environmental group, led by lawyer Luis Domingo Maldonado, has requested a special hearing on the compliance agreement, with the aim of solve the problem of overpopulation, without resorting to extermination of the animals themselves.

For that, On March 16, members of a citizens’ group, representatives of the Ministry of the Environment and officials from other public entities will meet to resolve the problem of the overpopulation of “Pablo’s hippos”, before the administrative court of Cundinamarca.

For the lawyer Luis Domingo Maldonado, author of the popular action studied by the administrative court of Cundinamarca, the hippo castration is the most viable alternative, combined with confinement, preferably on properties seized during drug trafficking so that they do not continue to affect the biodiversity of the country.

The lawyer considers that “Being sentient beings, they should not be slaughtered, simply and simply because it is necessary to resolve a conflict which affects an ecosystem and which can affect a community ”.

Meanwhile, those who defend the sacrifice of the hippos They recognize that while the solution may create resistance, it is the most viable. For example, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature concluded that there is little time left to make an effective decision before the damage is irreparable.

“We are fully aware that hippos are very charismatic and fascinating animals, and their elimination may meet with opposition from various stakeholders and part of the public. However, we want to stress that the impacts on ecosystems and livelihoods and the risk to humans will increase.», They concluded.

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