Deceased drug lord’s pet hippos run wild in Colombia

Deceased drug lord’s pet hippos run wild in Colombia
Deceased drug lord’s pet hippos run wild in Colombia

Deceased drug lord’s pet hippos run wild in Colombia

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When Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar was killed 25 years ago, few could have known that one of his legacies would be a growing pestilence of hippopotamus. Escobar kept numerous hippopotamus, and other exotic creatures, in his own private zoo. After Escobar’s death, the animals were left to fend for themselves. Now they’re multiplying and wreaking havoc across the country. Rebecca Lewison, associate professor of biology at San Diego State University will tell us about some of the consequences of taking animals, like the hippo, out of their native habitats. (photo: Hippos are normally found in Africa, like those pictured. “Ippopotami Lake Manyara Park” by Esculapio via Wikimedia Commons)