Pablo Escobar's hippos must be culled to halt biodiversity disaster – scientists

Huge animals abandoned on Colombian drug lord ’s hacienda zoo are loved by locals but their sheer numbers threaten environmentHippos imported illegally into Colombia for Pablo Escobar ’s private zoo have gone feral in the lush tropical countryside and must be culled before their invasive presence starts to wipe out indigenous flora and fauna, scientists have warned.One of the notorious drug lord ’s great extravagances saw him amass a collection of hippos, kangaroos, giraffes, elephants and other exotic animals in his hacienda fortress from where he establishedthe world ’s biggest cocaine empire in the 1980s.Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 10, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Associated Press Tags: Colombia Invasive species Conservation Environment Wildlife Drugs trade Source Type: news