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Colombia hippo update – Government temporarily bans hippo killing22/07/2009 09:48:56
The first of the hippos was recently shot by the Colombian Army. Credit Carlos Andres Lopez Colombian hippo problem While Wildlife Extra has absolutely no wish to see these hippos killed, they must not be allowed to live and breed naturally as the problem will grow and spread. Invasive species are one of the key challenges facing many environments worldwide and hippos would be the largest invasive species anywhere. And they are dangerous. They have the sympathy of the local population at the moment, but if they are allowed to roam, there will be an accident sooner rather than later. Unless a suitable solution is found soon, there may be little alternative. July 2009. After a protest against the killing of the Colombia hippos outside the Colombian Government environmental offices in Bogota, heavily covered by the local media, the Colombian Government stopped the order to kill the baby hippo and the mother.
And while the hippos are a potential risk for the local community, it has been reported that the community is angry because they has become very fond of the hippos, and no attacks have been reported. No attacks have been reported, but it should be noted that the hippo is one of the most dangerous animals in Africa and is reputed to kill hundreds of people every year. The Colombian Environmental office say that for the last 2 years they contacted some 400 zoos and wild parks worldwide offering the hippos but they didn't find any takers. However this has been questioned as they have not been able to provide details of any zoos approached. Finally they said that experts they contacted in Africa advised them that the best solution was to kill the hippos. Surprisingly, the head and toes of the one hippo that has been killed seem to have ‘disappeared' and it has been reported that a famous Colombian hunter has acquired them. The Colombian environmental office has confirmed that they have temporarily stopped halted the killing of the hippos, while private companies consult with experts from Africa.
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