Hippo hit and killed by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar

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Since his death, the hippos of the late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar (1949-1993) have kept Colombia busy. The animals, which the Colombian acquired illegally at the time, have since spread invasively.

As the “New York Post” reports, one of the so-called “cocaine hippos”, as they are popularly called, has now been hit and killed. The incident happened Tuesday evening on the Bogota-Medellin highway, just a few miles from the then-owned property of the notorious drug lord, where he smuggled four hippos in the 1980s. This has been announced by the authorities in Puerto Triunfo.

“They can attack a person at any time”

The car was completely destroyed in the collision with the animal. Authorities say two of the vehicle’s occupants suffered minor injuries.

A video posted to Twitter showed onlookers gathered around the hippo, which lay motionless in front of the wrecked car. According to the environmental authorities, the animal died immediately after the collision and was taken away for analysis.

“This is one of the dangers inherent in the presence of this species. Many of them cross the highway, which is busy with vehicles, and that is also a danger to people,” said biologist David Echeverri Lopez of the local environmental agency. Hippos are unpredictable, Lopez continued. And: “You can attack a person at any time.”

Up to 150 hippos in the area

As the New York Post writes, the accident is the first incident involving a hippo since last December. Also, a vehicle collided with a hippo. However, the animal would have survived.

The then-four hippos were originally released on Escobar’s 7,000-acre estate Hacienda Napoles between Medellin and Bogota. Since then, however, they have multiplied enormously. The number of hippos in the area is now estimated at 150. In 2022, the animals were officially declared an invasive species. Experts fear that the reproductive animals will settle in larger parts of Colombia.

The hippos are now being taken to zoos in Mexico and India. The Ministry of the Environment is currently seeking appropriate permits in accordance with international agreements on trade in protected species. “This accident highlights the importance of bringing hippos to Mexico and India,” Antioquia Department Governor Anibal Gaviria, 57, wrote on Twitter. (dzc)

Source: Blick