Control The Hippo Legacy Of The Drug Dealer Of The Late Pablo Escobar, Colombia Gives Contraceptive Drugs

Kuda nil di Hacienda Napoles milik Pablo Escobar. (Wikimedia Commons / Alvaro Morales Ríos)

JAKARTA - Colombia may finally find a solution to one of the legacy of notorious drug dealer Pablo Escobar, the fast-breeding invasive hippopotamus.

The number of hippos brought to Colombia in the 1980s for Escobar's private zoo has grown to a population of 80, prompting biologists to express concern over their environmental impact and the threat to human safety.

In January, a study published in the journal 'Biological Conservation' called for the ever-breeding herd of hippos, now wild in the Antioquia region, to be exterminated.

The local government had tried to sterilize the large animals. However, traditional surgical sterilization is too dangerous and demands improvement. Only 11 hippos have so far been neutered this way, according to local authorities.

However, on Friday 15 October, regional environmental agency Cornare announced its efforts to control the hippo population had resulted in 24 more hippos being treated with a new method: darts loaded with the contraceptive drug GonaCon.

Compared to surgery, GonaCon is "a much cheaper option," according to Cornare's statement. "However, this is still complex, as experts recommend three doses, based on studies and comparisons conducted in other large animals such as horses."

The hippopotamus at Hacienda Napoles belongs to Pablo Escobar. (Wikimedia Commons/Alvaro Morales Ríos)

The same drug has been tested in other wild animal populations, including wild horses in the United States, kangaroos in Australia and wild cattle in Hong Kong, he said. Scientists must now track the drug's efficacy by measuring hormone levels in hippo droppings.

"This is the first time we have implemented this procedure. We will follow up and monitor it to see how successful it is," said David Echeverri López, coordinator of the Cornare Forest and Biodiversity Group, citing CNN Oct. 19.

Hippos are seen at the Hacienda Napoles amusement park, which was once the private zoo of drug lord Pablo Escobar on his Napoles ranch, in Doradal City, Colombia, on September 12, 2020.

To note, Escobar's hippo collection started with just one male and three females. After his death, his collection of exotic animal species was transferred to Hacienda Napoles.

However, hippos are left because they are too difficult to catch and transport, according to the Biological Conservation study. They soon began to breed, spreading around the Magdalene river valley from their original home about 100 miles east of the city of Medellin.

Studies have shown the negative effects of hippopotamus dung on oxygen levels in water bodies, which can affect fish and ultimately humans. Hippos also pose a threat to agriculture and the safety of people in the affected areas, according to the Biological Conservation study. In May 2020, a hippo attack left a 45-year-old man seriously injured.