×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Thursday
19
Mar 2026
weather symbol
Athens 12°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

The “cocaine hippos” have become a huge headache for Colombia

Back in 1981, Escobar illegally imported one male and three female hippopotamuses...

Newsroom June 7 06:30

Infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar may be long gone, however he’s still wreaking havoc on his native Colombia thanks to his thriving hippos.

Back in 1981, Escobar illegally imported one male and three female hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius) from a zoo in the US, and moved them onto his private ranch at Hacienda Nápoles.

After his death in 1993, the African animals were left largely to their own devices, breeding and dispersing into the surrounding areas, establishing a healthy population along the Magdalena River.

See Also:

>Related articles

Salvador’s parliament approves life imprisonment for murderers, rapists and terrorists

Jerome Powell: Oil price rally will lead to a rise in inflation in the short term

Fed: interest rates unchanged amid war and energy crisis

Mike Pence announces White House bid

Now, a Colombian environment ministry census, conducted with local and US scientists, has revealed there are twice as many of the hefty herbivores as originally expected, with as many as 215 likely.

Read more: New Atlas

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#cocaine#colombia#hippo#hippopotamus#Pablo Escobar#world
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Plevris: We will take tougher measures if there are migratory flows due to the war in the Middle East

March 18, 2026

Salvador’s parliament approves life imprisonment for murderers, rapists and terrorists

March 18, 2026

Jerome Powell: Oil price rally will lead to a rise in inflation in the short term

March 18, 2026

Meeting of Gerapetritis with the US Permanent Representative to NATO

March 18, 2026

Fed: interest rates unchanged amid war and energy crisis

March 18, 2026

Ankara proposes extending the pipeline linking Turkey and Iraq as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz

March 18, 2026

The Aircraft Carrier that will replace the “Charles de Gaulle” will be named “Free France”

March 18, 2026

New Pierrakakis regulation for larger “haircuts” and lower installments in out-of-court debt settlements: How the primary residence can be saved

March 18, 2026
All News

> World

Salvador’s parliament approves life imprisonment for murderers, rapists and terrorists

The constitutional ban on lifers was abolished by an overwhelming majority, as part of Bukele's tough anti-gang policy

March 18, 2026

Ankara proposes extending the pipeline linking Turkey and Iraq as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz

March 18, 2026

The Aircraft Carrier that will replace the “Charles de Gaulle” will be named “Free France”

March 18, 2026

The prosecutor proposed a 7-year prison sentence for the son of the Princess of Norway: The serious charges and the rapes

March 18, 2026

The Kremlin condemns the “assassination” of Iranian leaders and leaves the energy front with Europe open

March 18, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα