Colombia will try to control its population of more than 100 hippopotamuses, large animals from Africa. The South American country aims to control the big animals using several methods. Officials might sterilize the animals through a medical operation. They might move the hippos to other countries, or possibly euthanize them, the government said recently. The animals’ ancestors were brought to the country by the late Pablo Escobar in the 1980s. Escobar was the leader of an illegal drug operation in Colombia. The hippos have spread from Escobar’s home to nearby rivers where they have reproduced. They have no natural predators in Colombia and the government has declared them as an invasive animal that could hurt the environment. Officials estimate there are 169 hippos in Colombia and that many of them are in the Magdalena River area.
