How much did it cost to transport Pablo Escobar’s hippos to Mexico and India?

Colombian authorities are moving forward with relocation procedures 10 African hippos from Hacienda Napoles, A former compound of a cocaine boss Pablo EscobarFor the state of Sinaloa, Ill Mexico 60 more copies India.

According to officials Antioch and the government Colombia, Along with the organizations involved, the operation to replace the African hippopotamus specimens will cost $3.5 million, largely funded by North American production company RPM.

“The entire operation cost about $3.5 million.”, Ernesto Zazueta, president of the Association of Zoos, Hatcheries and Aquariums of Mexico (Azcarm), told the media.

According to the governor Antioquia, Colombia, Anibal Gaviria CorreaThe goal is to move Pablo Escobar’s hippos “in the first semester of this year” (2023).

After Escobar’s death in 1993, the animals that were part of his private zoo wandered the Magdalena River Basin, a tropical and swampy region of Antioquia in northwestern Colombia.

As per the scheme’s design, the first objective is to lure them with bait and then lock them up in cages when the paperwork for their transfer is completed. .

Governor of Antioquia, Hannibal Gaviria, And Lina Marcela de los RiosOn March 29, the animal welfare manager noted that the requirements for transportation of wild animals would be implemented within two months.

These documents should, among other things, verify that the animals have been dewormed and that they have been quarantined. In addition, they must comply with international regulations to demonstrate that the origin of the specimens was not due to illegal trafficking of endangered species.

“The next phase is the contracting of the planes (and) the construction of the coaches (Conveyor cages) (…) We are going to start with India and then we will go to Mexico”, described the Mexican Ernesto Zazueta.

Considering the proportions of each hippopotamus, in order to send 30 people on each flight, they try to catch young specimens that have not reached the maximum weight of an adult.

Pablo Emilio Escobar GaviriaAlso known as “El Patron”, at the height of his criminal career, he had an exotic plan that was ambitious: to bring him animals from all over the world. Hacienda NapolesAlmost 3 thousand hectares.

However, after his death in 1993, and with the collapse of the Medellin cartel, the animals of “El Patrón” zoo were left overnight at the mercy of the vast territory, with no one to care for or monitor them. They lived. , organized by Capo’s orders.

These are the plains of the Magdalena Médio region in Atioguya, Colombia, where the main river of the South American country, the Magdalena River, is filled with marshes and swamps.

However, over time the exotic hippos became a threat to the fauna, flora and farmers of the region. One of them suffered serious injuries in 2020 after being attacked while out grazing.

The three-ton hippos are spread beyond Hacienda Napoles – 200 kilometers from Bogotá – along the Magdalena River. Environmental officials estimate there are approximately 130 specimens, due to their reproductive potential and lack of natural predation. They estimate that it will reach 400 in eight years.

The majority, 60 samples, will go to an unnamed wildlife sanctuary in India. The government of Antioquia attempted an unsuccessful sterilization program to control the population.

Hippos living in Colombia today, far from their native Africa, They are the descendants of four cubs that drug lord Escobar brought to his private zoo in the 1980s.