- Reaction score
- 1,708
Colombia is to cull some of the 166 hippos descended from a herd owned by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s.
Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said that 20 would be sterilised, others would be transferred abroad - and "some" would be euthanised.
Experts have for years tried to control the hippo numbers.
Escobar imported the animals for his private zoo at Hacienda Nápoles. They were left to roam after he was killed in a shootout with police in 1993.
Authorities have tried various approaches to curb the population explosion in Colombia's main river, the Magdalena, including sterilisation and transferring individuals to zoos abroad.
Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said that 20 would be sterilised, others would be transferred abroad - and "some" would be euthanised.
Experts have for years tried to control the hippo numbers.
Escobar imported the animals for his private zoo at Hacienda Nápoles. They were left to roam after he was killed in a shootout with police in 1993.
Authorities have tried various approaches to curb the population explosion in Colombia's main river, the Magdalena, including sterilisation and transferring individuals to zoos abroad.
Pablo Escobar's feral hippos face cull in Colombia
Authorities say they need to stop a dangerous population explosion among the invasive species.
www.bbc.com