Infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar’s legacy is living on in a rather unexpected way in his home country of Colombia. When the notorious “El Patrón” was killed in 1993, the Colombian government sold his Hacienda Napoles estate–with its swimming pools, bullring, and extensive zoo–to a management company, which turned it into what was at the time the largest theme park in South America. But while the other animals were relocated, it seems that a few of the hippos managed to make an escape.
It is estimated that some fifty or sixty of these animals now live in the Colombian jungle and its rivers. And with such a habitable environment and no natural predators, there is no reason to suppose that number will dwindle. This has led to quite a few surprises for local fisherman, and reports say that some of the baby hippos are even being taken home as pets. Perhaps a less-than-wise maneuver, given the fact that hippos kill more people every year in Africa (where the ungulates are normally found) than elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and buffaloes combined.
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