PABLO Escobar’s herd of randy cocaine hippos have been sentenced to death by judges in Colombia.
The “out of control” beasts escaped from the cartel kingpin‘s compound when he died in a police shootout in Medellin in 1993.
Officials have since been working tirelessly to halt them from breeding as they now sum up to 200 animals that are damaging local landscapes and wildlife.
But experts fear their numbers could grow to more than 1,000 if they are not killed off.
Now Administrative Court judges in the Colombian capital Cundinamarca have ordered the state’s Environment Ministry to execute the animals within three months.
Judges last Friday warned that previous bids to reduce the herd have failed and it has now grown to such a size that it could endanger human life.
Attacks on fishermen have been reported on the Magdalena River, and experts argue manatee populations could also be threatened.
Environmental legal expert Juan Pablo Sarmient said: “The discussion on what to do with invasive species is a global problem.
“However due to the time that the presence of hippos in the country has spread, it has become a situation that cannot be prolonged any longer.”
He added: “These decisions must be faced to wipeout an invasive species because the impact they have on the environment generates risk to human beings.”
Francisco Sánchez, an environmental official, previously told The Guardian: “They’ll get all the way to the sea, because they will just follow the Magdalena River.
“It’s completely out of control.”
PABLO Escobar was a notorious Colombian drug lord and the leader of the Medellín Cartel, one of the most powerful and violent criminal organisations in history.
Born on December 1, 1949, in Rionegro, Colombia, Escobar rose from humble beginnings to become one of the richest and most feared men in the world through the illegal cocaine trade.
During the 1980s, Escobar controlled the majority of the cocaine entering the United States, making billions of dollars.
He was known for his ruthless tactics, including bribery, intimidation, and murder, to maintain power and influence.
His cartel was responsible for thousands of deaths, including those of government officials, judges, police officers, and civilians.
Escobar’s influence extended beyond the drug trade.
He used his wealth to fund social programs in his hometown of Medellín, building houses, schools, and sports facilities, which earned him some support among the local population.
But his reign of terror also led to significant violence and instability in Colombia.
The Colombian government, with support from the United States, launched a massive manhunt to capture Escobar.
He was eventually killed by the Colombian National Police on December 2, 1993, in Medellín.
Scientists fear that even the hippos’ excrement could also threaten fish species in Colombia as a single hippo produces up to a 20lbs of waste every day.
In Africa, where the beast originates, its waste provides key nutrients for fish and rivers and lakes to feed on.
But in Colombia, local flora and fauna are unable to feed on it and risk being killed off as a result.
Wildlife groups have previously urged the government to try controlled culling and even sterilisation to avoid mass killings.
Some even campaigned for the herd to be rounded up and flown to Mexico.
San Diego State University ecologist Rebecca Lewison told The Guardian: “If I lived in Colombia, I would be worried.
“Colombia has great biodiversity, and this is not a system that has evolved to support a mega-herbivore.”
Experts have considered many approaches over the years in a bid to exterminate the deadly animal not native to Latin America.
In 1998, the Colombian government seized control of Escobar‘s Hacienda Napoles estate and transferred the majority of his animals to domestic zoos.
But not all of them made the cut – some were too dangerous to relocate and several have since multiplied and ruined crop, including three females and one male.
Experts are keen to castrate wild hippos despite public outcry at their previous attempt to slaughter the beasts.
And last year, Colombia‘s Environment Minister Susana Muhamad announced that they intended to solve the issue.
She said a culling programme would run alongside a sterilisation one sending the randy beasts to new homes in other countries.
But since then no action has been taken.
The terrifying creatures were rounded up last year but wildlife specialists bemoan that they’re still awaiting permits to move over 70 of them.
Escobar‘s personal zoo housed an array of animal species in addition to hippos.
At the peak of his drug empire he employed over a staggering 1,000 house staff and even had a bullring and theme park in his Hacienda Napoles estate.
