How Pablo Escobar’s Hippos are still a problem in Colombia

December 1993, The infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar dies in a shootout with the Colombian Law Enforcement. But something of the notorious criminal remains to this day, something no one thought would be both a problem and a tourist spot for Colombia... 

Most of you know the drug lord Pablo Escobar because of the hit gritty - original Netflix series ‘Narcos’. But there is much more to him then just simply drugs. Pablo Escobar was one of the most successful drug kingpins in the world and with all of that drug money he wanted to make a private zoo. So he imported several animals from different countries like giraffes, exotic animals etc. Along with theses animals he brought in four hippos. Hippopotamuses weren’t native to South America, in fact they were imported from Africa, where they are naturally found.

 When Pablo Escobar was killed, the government reclaimed Pablo's estate. Giving off the animals to different zoos and sanctuaries. All animals except the hippos. They let the hippos sort of roam around freely in the wild and the reason for this is still unclear.

The estate since then has transformed into a theme park where the hippos have now become an attraction. The theme park in itself actually plays quite an important role to Colombia’s tourism sector. The problem is that the hippos are multiplying at a large rate and they are moving outside of their given habitat, troubling the locals. Hippos are extremely territorial and aggressive animals and having them close to human beings is seriously harmful. 



Some of the factors that are involved in the increasing rate of hippos are:- 

- Colombia is tropical in nature, meaning food is available all year around. Back in their native continent, Africa, hippos face a lot of droughts which is why they aren't thriving there as much.

- There is no natural predator in Colombia for hippos, meaning that there is no control on the population. 

- Due to the reasons above, hippos in the Colombia region begin to be sexually active earlier than most hippos from around the world. 

In my opinion, this is a prime example of why nature shouldn’t be messed with. Animals have their own habitats for a reason and when they are moved from their native regions, it usually ends up in disaster and chaos. I also can’t fathom how a man single handily, added a whole species to a place where it wasn’t even supposed to be in the first place. 

  • Make sure you read my blogs on WriteMango the App! Reading the latest news, stories and facts has  never been easier. Download WriteMango the App on Google PlayStore! 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Heath Ledger’s Joker is Better

Image
In 2019, with the release of the movie Joker came an argument, which portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime is the better one, Heath Ledger’s Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight or Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal in the more recent film and so here is why I think Heath Ledger’s Joker is better, Let’s begin !  1. The less known, the better... Joker gives us a somewhat of an origin story on how the Joker came to be and here is where the problem stems. Part of what makes the Joker such an iconic villain is that his origin story remains a mystery. In Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, the Joker is seen giving three different backstories on how he got his scars which leaves us to wonder which backstory is the correct one or if any of these stories were the correct one at all. That is the charm of this mysterious figure and in my opinion one of the reasons why Joker is such a great villain is that we are left to keep guessing what his origins could be.   2). Not a Guy with A Plan Heat
Read more

A Look At History’s Greatest Fathers

Image
History’s August 31 2018 article titled History’s Finest Fathers state some of the remarkable parental related deeds of many reputed figures throughout history including Czar Nicholas II, Charlemagne, Mark Twain and even the father of modern science, Charles Darwin.  So in light of Father’s Day, let’s make an attempt to break down the qualities listed in their specific paragraphs, a few intriguing similarities arise to the surface and perhaps give us an idea of what the role of a good father actually entails. Sacrifice, Endless Duty and Responsibility are common terms thrown around during the conversation of father figures but what exactly are those sacrifices, duties and responsibilities. Can some acts be considered lower or larger compared to others? Are these norms beneficial to parenting or harmful? And perhaps most importantly, what attributes constitute a good father all in all? From the consortium of personalities in the article, we see that many of the men listed here had broke
Read more

Tales of Crime and Justice : The Origins of Thief Taker General Jonathan Wilde

Image
1720 London, a man has just been robbed in a lone alleyway. He approaches the most famous Thief Taker in town, Jonathan Wilde and asks for his help in catching the criminal. Days later, Jonathan and his agents have found the valuables. They negotiate a price to release the goods and the man pays the robber in an anonymous meet out. Wilde only accepts a small fee in exchange for his services. Ah, what a noble man you think he is, a true giver of justice... but ask around and soon you will hear a different kind of story. One of that every criminal from the pickpockets to the wig stealers has a master. That master being Thief Taker General Jonathan Wilde himself... Between 1680 and 1720, a new wave of crime had hit the streets of London. Capitalism meant an increase in manufactured goods that could easily be stolen and sold again. This very concept is what led to a new era of thievery. On top of that London at the time did not have a professional police force unlike neighboring France whe
Read more