Colombia’s population of hippopotamuses, descended from four animals imported to Hacienda Nápoles in the early 1980s by Pablo Escobar, has grown to well over a hundred and now demands government action, according to recent field counts and official statements.
A census led by researchers at the National University of Colombia, the Humboldt Institute and Cornare estimated between 181 and 215 hippos living along the Magdalena River and its tributaries, as reported by Nature. That figure followed earlier governmental tallies that put the population at about 169 in late 2023, as reported by the Guardian. Ecology studies and modelling cited by scientists warn the population could rise further, with projections of hundreds to more than a thousand animals in coming decades if left unmanaged, as reported by Wikipedia and Nature.
The legal and policy response has accelerated. The Administrative Court of Cundinamarca ordered the Environment Ministry to issue regulation within three months that contemplates eradication measures, according to ABC News and Wikipedia. The ministry has announced a management program combining sterilization, translocation and potential euthanasia, and in 2023 officials said surgical sterilizations had been carried out on some hippos, as reported by The New York Times. Colombia began a sterilization program using chemical vaccines like GonaCon in 2021, according to Wikipedia.
Impact Risks Methods And Local Reaction
Scientists and agencies have documented ecological changes tied to hippo presence, including increased nutrient loading and cyanobacteria in lakes, altered riverbank geomorphology and potential competition with native fauna such as manatees, otters and turtles, as reported by Wikipedia and ecological studies cited therein. Field researchers found about 37 percent of animals were juveniles, which indicates rapid breeding, Nature reported.
Authorities and researchers have considered a range of interventions. Modelling published in Nature estimated that darted contraceptives could take decades and cost at least US$850,000 for eradication, while capture and transport for castration would cost at least US$530,000, the article said. Proposals to move animals to sanctuaries abroad, including offers to send hippos to India and Mexico, were reported with an estimated relocation cost near US$3.5 million, according to Nature and Wikipedia.
Attempts at lethal control have proven controversial. The 2009 government-authorized killing of a male hippo named Pepe provoked protests and halted culling, as reported by Wikipedia and other sources. Local communities often view hippos as tourist draws and sometimes as part of local life, while fishers and conservationists report increasing risky encounters, as described by the Guardian, Smithsonian and Psychology Today pieces. Officials including Environment Minister Susana Muhamad have framed the effort as a race against time to prevent permanent ecosystem damage, as reported by The New York Times and Wikipedia.
