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Colombia's rogue hippos could find refuge in India

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By Manuel Rueda Hippos wallow at a lagoon in the Hacienda Napoles Park, once the private estate of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia. Fernando Vergara/AP hide caption DORADAL, Colombia—In a small town in central Colombia, the grunt of hippos has become part of the soundscape.
+ Every afternoon in Doradal, locals and tourists gather at a lake on the edge of town.
− Every afternoon in Doradal, locals and tourists hang out at a lake on the edge of town. They chat and drink beers as they watch the giant beasts floating on the water.
+ They chat and drink beers as they watch the giant beasts floating in the water.
"This is one of the main attractions in town," says Lina Morales, a local hotel worker.
− The hippos are the descendants of four animals brought illegally to Colombia in the 1980's by Pablo Escobar.
+ But this group of hippos—the only wild herd outside Africa—has also become a threat to people and the local environment, scientists argue. A recent proposal by Colombia's government to cull the animals has sparked a new debate in the nation's decades-long hippo saga.
− The notorious drug lord owned a private zoo on a ranch near Doradal, where he also had elephants, giraffes, and zebras.
+ It now also includes a counterproposal by an Indian billionaire who says he is willing to adopt up to 80 hippos and relocate them to his private wildlife reserve.
− But no one captured the hippos after the Colombian government seized Escobar's properties in 1993.
+ "I think we should address this technically," said Sergio Estrada-Villegas, a biology professor at Rosario University in Bogotá. "Maybe setting aside our feelings and thinking about the whole ecosystem." The hippos are descendants of four animals brought illegally to Colombia in the 1980s by Pablo Escobar. The notorious drug lord kept a private zoo on a ranch near Doradal, where he also housed elephants, giraffes, and zebras.
− And because of the lack of natural predators, their population exploded.
+ But after the Colombian government seized Escobar's properties in 1993, no one captured the hippos.
− Scientists estimate there are now 200 hippos roaming freely around Doradal—a town surrounded by lush forests and big rivers.
+ And because they lacked natural predators, their population exploded.
+ Scientists estimate there are now around 200 hippos roaming freely around Doradal, a town surrounded by lush forests and large rivers.
Some say the time has come to cull them.
− Biologist Nataly Castelblanco-Martinez explains that the hippos deposit large amounts of waste in lakes and riverbeds, which can lead to drastic changes in water chemistry.
+ Biologist Nataly Castelblanco-Martinez explains that hippos deposit large amounts of waste in lakes and riverbeds, leading to drastic changes in water chemistry.
"Including changes in the pH and also less oxygen.
− So, then all the plants that need oxygen in the water are going to collapse because of this," Castelblanco-Martinez says.
+ So then all the plants that need oxygen in the water are going to collapse because of this," Castelblanco-Martinez says.
With fewer underwater plants, the local food chain suffers. "The hippos have a transversal impact on the ecosystem," Castelblanco-Martinez adds.
− In mid-April, Colombia's government announced a plan to control the country's hippo population, including culling up to 80 animals this year.
+ In Doradal, however, the animals have become a tourist attraction. Statues of hippos are displayed throughout the town.
− In Doradal, the hippos have become a tourist attraction—statues of the animals are displayed throughout the town.
A stack of three hippo statues stands at Hacienda Nápoles Park, once the private estate of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia. Fernando Vergara/AP hide caption "They are part of our community now," says business owner Tania Galindo.
− "There's no other place outside of Africa with wild hippos." Some locals now take visitors on hippo safaris, while others sell keyrings, T-shirts, and other souvenirs featuring the semi-aquatic mammals.
+ "There's no other place outside Africa with wild hippos." Some locals now take visitors on hippo safaris, while others sell keyrings, T-shirts, and other souvenirs featuring the semi-aquatic mammals.
"Their population should be controlled," Galindo says.
− "But in a peaceful manner that respects their life, and the appreciation we have for them." Colombia initially tried to curb the hippo population through sterilization—first with surgeries, then contraceptive injections.
+ "But in a peaceful manner that respects their lives and the appreciation we have for them." Colombia initially tried to curb the hippo population through sterilization—first with surgeries, then with contraceptive injections.
But biologist Castelblanco-Martinez says the procedures are costly and risky, making large-scale sterilization difficult.
− She says culling is the most effective solution.
+ She argues that culling is the most effective solution.
− "And we do it with lionfish, you see it with camels in Australia," she says.
+ "And we do it with lionfish. You see it with camels in Australia," she says.
Now, Colombia's hippos may have been thrown a lifeline. Indian billionaire Anant Ambani has offered to relocate 80 hippos to his Vantara wildlife reserve in Gujarat, India.
− "It would be a major undertaking for sure," says Sergio Estrada, a biology professor at Bogotá's Rosario University.
+ "It would be a major undertaking for sure," said biology professor Estrada-Villegas.
− He is skeptical of the billionaire's proposal.
+ He remains skeptical of the billionaire's proposal.
− Locals relax as they watch hippos floating in a lake near Doradal, Colombia, April 23 Manue Rueda/NPR hide caption "Depending on where they are, when they lure them and catch them, they would have to drive them in huge trucks and lorries to the Rio Negro airport near Medellin.
+ Locals relax as they watch hippos floating in a lake near Doradal, Colombia, April 23 Manue Rueda/NPR hide caption "Depending on where they are, when they lure them and catch them, they would have to drive them in huge trucks and lorries to the Rio Negro airport near Medellín.
− And that is about 150 km.
+ And that is about 150 kilometers.
So that, in itself, is no easy task," he says.
− Then the hippos would have to be put on planes to India—a long flight that requires a stopover.
+ Then the hippos would have to be flown to India—a long journey that would require a stopover. "And so, imagine what you would need to do to keep these animals safe and relaxed during this trip?" Estrada-Villegas adds. German Jimenez, a biologist at Javeriana University who has published several papers on the hippos, says there is another challenge: how these wild animals would fare in Ambani's 14-square-kilometer reserve. In the wild, each hippo requires roughly six square kilometers of habitat to sustain itself, Jimenez explains.
− "And so, imagine what you would need to do to keep these animals safe and relaxed during this trip?" Estrada adds.
+ That means hippos relocated to the Vantara reserve would likely be confined to much smaller spaces and become dependent on humans for food.
− There are also questions about how these wild animals would fare in Ambani's reserve."I don't see these animals living and roaming freely in this area, in this location in India," Estrada says.
+ "If you put these animals near each other, you will need to practice some kind of chemical or physical castration in order to control aggressive behavior," Jimenez explains.
− Colombia's Environment Ministry warns that if drastic measures are not taken, the hippo population could double over the next five years.
+ Colombia's government is currently reviewing the proposal from the billionaire, who plans to send a delegation from India to study the hippos and the terrain where they live. The Colombian environment ministry has said the billionaire's proposal will, for now, only "complement" its broader plans to control the hippo population—plans that still include culling some animals. That idea does not sit well with many residents of Doradal, who have grown used to living alongside the hippos and, in some cases, even take pride in them.
− That might lure more hippo lovers to Doradal—but it also leaves Colombian officials with difficult choices about how to manage a growing and unpredictable population.
+ Galindo said she hopes the government continues pursuing non-lethal solutions.
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+ "Killing them should only be a last resort," she said. "These are healthy animals that did not choose to come here." Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor