The Curious Quandary of Colombia’s “Cocaine Hippo” Epidemic

What happens when a drug lord decides to indulge his love of an exotic African animal? In the case of famous Colombian drug lord and cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar thirty years ago, this led to four hippos getting imported from a wildlife park in Texas as part of his own private “Noah’s Ark” filled with animals from around the world. Then he got arrested.

The hippos, left on their own, began to thrive. With no natural predators, ideal weather conditions and plentiful food, today the hippos have become a major problem in Colombia. Currently, they number between 90 to 180 animals (no one knows the actual figure) and by most accounts the numbers of Escobar’s “cocaine hippos” are continuing to rise. In Africa, they are known to be one of the more deadly animals and in Colombia they can dramatically alter an ecosystem based on how much they eat and how much they poop.

Altogether the story of these hippos is such a random combination of things that it would probably make a good movie. I mean, someone gave the green light to make a film about a bear who actually did cocaine so maybe this isn’t so far fetched ...