A gaggle of hippos launched to Colombia by drug cartel chief Pablo Escobar within the Nineteen Nineties is inflicting concern amongst researchers and conservationists. After Escobar’s demise, the hippos had been left to ascertain themselves in Colombia’s Magdalena River and close by lakes, and their inhabitants has multiplied to round 150 people.

Scientists now fear that the surroundings ministry will prioritize animal welfare over lowering the inhabitants of invasive hippos that threaten the nation’s pure ecosystems and biodiversity.

The hippopotamus amphibious is taken into account the biggest invasive animal on the planet, with no pure predators in Colombia. A modeling research printed in 2021 estimates that if left unchecked, their inhabitants may attain 1,500 in 16 years.

Researchers have known as for a strict administration plan to scale back the wild inhabitants to zero, via a mix of culling some animals and capturing others, then relocating them to amenities akin to zoos.

Nevertheless, what to do with the hippos has polarized the nation. Some view the animals as charismatic and worthwhile vacationer sights, whereas others are involved about their menace to the surroundings and native fishing communities.

The hippo inhabitants may displace endangered species native to the Magdalena River, such because the Antillean manatee, by outcompeting them for meals and house. There’s additionally a danger of visitors accidents and assaults on folks brought on by the hippos.

The Colombian authorities acted to scale back the hippo inhabitants once they first acknowledged their fast development throughout the 2000s. Nevertheless, images that emerged in 2009 of troopers gunning down Pepe, Escobar’s fugitive male hippo, prompted an outcry from animal-rights activists and plunged the surroundings ministry into “institutional paralysis”. Researchers say that the hippos don’t belong in Colombia, as they’re native to sub-Saharan Africa.

The fear now’s that the federal government must hearken to fashionable opinion slightly than basing selections on proof and conservation experience. In keeping with a research printed final month, Colombia has few insurance policies governing invasive species in contrast with its general variety of biodiversity insurance policies.

The query is whether or not environmental authorities will act swiftly to draft and implement an moral and efficient administration plan. In the event that they delay, rural communities which can be most affected by the hippos would possibly take issues into their very own palms.

It’s important to prioritize the surroundings’s well being and biodiversity over any charismatic invasive species. The Colombian authorities have to take decisive motion to scale back the inhabitants of invasive hippos earlier than it’s too late.

As people, we are able to additionally assist by being aware of the environmental influence of our actions and supporting conservation efforts in our communities. It’s time to behave to guard the surroundings, and all of us have a task to play.

This article by Nicholas Vincent was first printed by OneGreenPlanet on 6 March 2023. 

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