A hippopotamus descendant of animals illegally taken to Colombia in the 1990s by Pablo Escobar was run over last Tuesday night (11), on the road that connects Medellín to Bogotá, Colombia.
A driver passing by on the road, moments after the accident, recorded images of the animal lying in the middle of the road after being hit by a car while crossing. After the accident, the hippo succumbed to his injuries.
A video that is circulating on social media shows that the car was completely destroyed, but according to local police, the driver was unharmed.
| COLOMBIA • Vehicle killed hippopotamus from Hacienda Nápoles (Pablo Escobar) on the road Bogotá-Medellín. pic.twitter.com/joQ11qr9Ft
— ALERTAS RD
Y EL
(@Alertas_RD) April 12, 2023
Why have hippos become a problem in Colombia?
Four hippos were brought to Colombia in 1980 to “Hacienda Nápoles”, Pablo Escobar’s private zoo, which became a tourist attraction after his death in 1993.
However, animals native to Africa ended up escaping after the death of the drug trafficker and reproducing. Today, there are more than 100 hippos in the streets and rivers of Colombia. According to local environmental authorities, the population of the species could grow to 400 in 80 years.
As they are native to another continent, hippos have no natural predators in the country and end up being a threat to residents and other species of animals.
Source: CNN Brasil
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