Cocaine hippos of Colombia, or Environmental sabotage Escobar

The most famous in the history of the drug Lord Pablo Escobar did in this world a lot of evil. Victims of the Medellín cartel became more than 7 thousand people, and the profit from the sale of cocaine amounted to billions of dollars. But in addition to direct damage to the state and society, the criminal left a another reminder — an army of hippos, which in Colombia is known as "Coca".

It is possible that after the destruction of humanity, hippos inhabit a huge space in South, Central and North America. Besides man, these river giants are no natural predators on the American continents, and the climate turned out to be quite suitable. Only God hippopotamus Paradise, in this case, is the late drug Lord Pablo Emilio Escobar.

The story of the Colombian cocaine hippos began in the mid-80's, when the Medellín cartel was at its peak. Escobar was so rich that he did not know how to spend money — the witnesses claimed that only rubber bands for cash, the offender had spent up to 2 thousand dollars per month.

Personal zoo at the residence of the drug Lord's Hacienda Napoles was one of the whims cocaine villain. For Escobar, the animals brought from different parts of the world. On the huge area in the pens and fenced pastures, strolled giraffes and buffaloes, ostriches and rhinos, several species of antelope and even elephant. In addition, the menagerie was a separate stable for the ponies, so like Pablo was a fad — he loved those miniature horses. Brought to the Hacienda Napoles and four hippos.

In 1993 when the cartel was destroyed, animals were caught and placed in zoos and menageries in the country. With Escobar's hippos decided not to get large and aggressive animals just to hand not given and lovers of exotic not particularly interested. Animals just released to the free bread in the jungle and then forgot about them.

But it's been 25 years and about Pets cocaine king had to remember. Hippos were not four, but 40 to 60 individuals. Animals quietly cut through the water and land near rivers, scaring local residents with their dimensions and a stern disposition. Yet, without victims, but sooner or later, trouble is inevitable.

The hippopotamus is very territorial, aggressive animals that without doubt engage in a battle with any opponent. In Africa the number of victims among the local population, with hippos can compete only malarial mosquitoes. To deal with thick-skinned aggressors hard — civilian firearms against them is practically useless.

Now the patrimony of hippopotami population of Colombia is the floodplain of the Magdalena river. But these mammals breed well and their habitat is slowly but surely expanding. Unusual for Colombia, the species has already begun to have a negative effect on the ecosystem — otters and manatees gradually began to withdraw from the rivers, where they lived for thousands of years. Also came another problem — the river began to shallow and overgrown with greenery.Speaking in academic terms, hippos are ecosystem engineers, like beavers. Though they are not dams, but changing the environment because of its way of life. These animals feed on the shore and evacuate your bowels in the water, changing its chemical and biological composition. The usual Colombian rivers of fish, crustaceans and molluscs just die out in the marshy waters, or are replaced by other, less demanding species.

Come down to the fact that the problem of cocaine hippos began to discuss at the highest level. And then, suddenly, the hippos were no defenders. They brought enough convincing arguments to accept and generally left alone these animals. The fact that around 10 thousand years ago, in the territory of Colombia lived its own kind of hippos, the population of which was later completely destroyed by the people.

Animal advocates say that hippos Escobar is a great chance to regain balance in the South American tropical nature and fill the empty ecological niche. The government is not enthusiastic about such prospects and looking for other solutions.

I tried to catch the hippos to be sterilized. As it turned out — it's not an easy task. To deal with an animal, that is, to catch it, to sterilize, to provide some Babysitting and to return to nature, you need as many as 25 thousand dollars in Colombia is not ready for such costs.

It is possible that the situation is hopeless, in the end, will benefit as thick-skinned, and humanity. In Africa, hippos are starting to disappear and maybe the Colombian herd sometime in the future give the option to save rhinos as a species.