HE war language It resonates beyond Colombian territory where armed violence is deployed. The Attorney General’s Office has just submitted to the Council of State that hippos are descended from a quartet of mammals imported by drug lord Pablo Escobar forty years ago.invasive speciesA columnist for Bogotá’s newspaper ‘El Tiempo’ opposed the “reinstatement” of mammals like cocaine kings, and this as a sacred remedy to the problem of continued mammalian reproduction. Antiochabout 400 kilometers from the capital.
This herbivorous beast He came from Africa in 1980. escobar predictably imported illegally. private zoo inside Porto Triunfo. Only four animals arrived. HE founder between Medellin cartel He died in 1993. Authorities relocated a large number of species. hippos they were left to their fatethey became owners of vast estates, supposedly Hacienda Napoleon Antioch. They soon adapted to an environment washed by the waters of the Magdalena River. Authorities estimate that more than 200 of this species, barely 29% of the adult total, drag 800 kilograms in this region. They give birth under water and reproduce because they dominate the land. Estimated in a year or two, There may be more than 1000. And then the word “invasion” would begin to take on another meaning.
Since the hippopotamus became part of the landscape of the river flowing into the Caribbean for its reproductive power, many Colombians have come to learn about its characteristics, breeding rhythm, hot days, and mating. But also its dangers. The press told the story of a man who was bitten by those jaws. Only large dogs did not leave scars and became infected due to infestation of the beast’s mouth. The victim was said to have mental problems.
facts and myths
Another person nearly lost his arm while trying to catch an animal to sell it illegally. He lives in a village known as Luis Enrique Díaz. pita station. One morning that seemed to be copied from others in that rural area, he went to the river to fill a pump. hippo with unleashed anger. The villager tried to escape but fell to the ground. Díaz stayed at home for almost a year for fear of being attacked again. Even animals can run a lot 40 kilometers per hourThey can quickly move away from their surroundings. What happened days ago one of the wandering mammals: crashed into a car and died. Those in the vehicle were injured.
Species growth requires: damage for ecosystemschanges the landscape, disrupts communities, exposes fishermen to deadly risks. “What to do with hippos is a question that keeps biologists, residents, ministers and others awake all night,” César Giraldo Zuluaga told the newspaper ‘El Espectador’. governor Antioch, Hannibal Gaviriasought help from the national government to speed up permits that allowed at least 70 of these mammals to be brought into the area. India and Mexico. According to ‘Semana’ magazine, the money would be provided by the private sector. The only thing missing is the national government’s approval to put them on planes.
This Environment Minister Susana Muhamadreported that the government is currently in the possession of an academic report containing recommendations to resolve the disorder. Experts say “control hunting” through gunfire or concussions or chemical injections. They also recommend transferring it to zoos or wild populations in the local range. Finally, there will be the option of being confined to an area where they can be kept until they naturally disappear.
in defense of monsters
Hard solutions have been hurting for a long time. “I ask forgiveness for hippos Author Daniel Samper Pizano said two years ago that the Colombians and I announced that I would vote for the candidate who made the best offer to them.Even though criminal gangs do much more damagehippos are seen as some we are hippopotamus. They could not say whether they preferred a tomb in Colombia or a reserve in Africa or Mexico, neither a subjugation law with the possibility of collective or individual judgment nor offered to be peace administrators. Nothing”.
Ochoa admits they are severe And untamed. Therefore, he recommends that captured drug traffickers take care of them. He states in turn that The meat of this animal is rich in protein.It tastes like pork and is low in fat. “Can there be an opportunity to eat here when there is poverty, misery, and hunger? And other meats at the expense of the holy cow.”