January 1, Cocaine-Hippo Hit By Car in Columbia (Yeah, You Read That Right)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
1912: On this day in history, April 15th, the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. The Titanic was one of the largest and most luxurious ships of its time, and its sinking was one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history….. READ MORE ABOUT THIS HISTORIC DAY HERE

Well this ain’t something you hear everyday. Here are the hard facts:

• A hippopotamus, descended from the animals brought to Colombia by drug lord Pablo Escobar, died in a collision with an SUV on a highway near Escobar’s hacienda.
• The hippos, which now number over 100, have no natural predators in Colombia and have been declared an invasive species that could upset the ecosystem.
• Hippos weigh up to 2 tons and pose a danger to motorists as they sometimes cross highways.
• The hippopotamus was removed to be analyzed, and the vehicle occupants were unharmed in the accident.
• Most of the hippos live freely in rivers and reproduce without control.
• Colombia has proposed transferring at least 70 of the animals to India and Mexico to control their population.
• The hippos’ feces change the composition of rivers and could impact the habitat of manatees and capybaras.

What is it with rich people and exotic animals? Can’t you just get a dog like the rest of us? What are you doing with a damn hippo in your backyard?

I’ll tell you this much, it’s a damn shame what happened to that hippopotamus. Somewhere on a highway near Pablo Escobar’s hacienda the poor hippo died in a collision with an SUV. I mean, what are the Columbians supposed to do with these invasive species that have no natural predators? Apparently Escobar’s drug funded zoo has become a real problem, so much of a problem that it poses a danger to motorists on the highway.

Anyone who works with animals will tell ya that when we bring animals from one part of the world to another, we have no idea what kind of impact they might have. In this case, Escobar’s private zoo may have seemed like a fun tourist attraction at the time, but now we’re dealing with a serious problem.

And what’s the solution? Colombia has proposed transferring at least 70 of the animals to India and Mexico, but is that really the best option? I mean, it’s not like those countries don’t have their own problems to deal with. And who’s to say that the hippos won’t become invasive species there as well?

No, the real solution is prevention. We need to be more mindful of the impact we have on the environment and think twice before we introduce foreign species into an ecosystem. It’s not just hippos – we’ve seen this kind of thing happen with all sorts of animals, from pythons in the Everglades to cane toads in Australia.

But unfortunately, we can’t just snap our fingers and make all the invasive species disappear. We have to deal with the situation as it is. And that means finding a way to control the hippo population in Colombia before it gets even more out of hand.

Now, I’m no expert on hippo population control, but I do know this: hungry hungry is not a fun game to play in real life. I don’t have a great answer. Maybe working with scientists, environmentalists, and local communities to come up with a solution. And it also means being willing to try new things – whether that’s relocating some of the animals to other countries or exploring alternative methods of population control. I got a lot of buddies that love to hunt for exotic game if it’s legal.

One thing is for sure, though: we can’t just sit back and do nothing. The longer we wait, the worse the problem will get. We owe it to ourselves, to future generations, and to the environment to take action now. That’s all for now, folks. Stay safe out there on the highways, and watch out for those unpredictable hippos!

---

source: HuffPost