To handle the burgeoning inhabitants of hippos descended from animals imported by infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar within the Nineteen Eighties, Colombia has initiated a sterilization program.
On Tuesday, environmental authorities sterilized two male and one feminine hippopotamus, marking the start of a broader authorities marketing campaign to handle the greater than 100 hippos freely roaming a number of the nation’s rivers.
The sterilization plan goals to regulate the hippo inhabitants by conducting the process on 40 people yearly, exploring the choice of transferring some to different nations, and contemplating killing them as a final resort.
These hippos, as soon as residents of Escobar’s personal zoo at Hacienda Nápoles, have thrived in Colombia’s rivers, missing pure predators and posing a menace to the native ecosystem.
The problem lies in capturing and sterilizing these territorial and aggressive 3-ton creatures. David Echeverry López, chief of the surroundings workplace overseeing the initiative, emphasised the complexities concerned within the course of.
Recognizing and capturing the hippos is tough, and up to date rain occasions within the space have additional sophisticated efforts by offering an oversupply of meals, making baiting for seize much more difficult.
The federal government estimates that there are presently 169 hippos in Colombia, notably within the Magdalena River basin.
With out intervention, the inhabitants might surge to 1,000 by 2035, posing important dangers to the native surroundings.
The invasive species, having no pure predators, threatens to upset the ecological stability.
The sterilization course of will not be with out challenges and dangers. Every process comes at a considerable price of roughly $9,800, and there are potential risks for each the hippos and the animal well being personnel concerned.
Issues could come up, together with allergic reactions to anesthesia and, in excessive instances, loss of life.
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This article by Trinity Sparke was first printed by One Inexperienced Planet on 18 November 2023. Picture Credit score :Jens Goos/Shutterstock.
