The Outlook Podcast Archive - My close encounters with Escobar’s hippos

Download My close encounters with Escobar’s hippos

Jonathan Shurin is an ecologist with an unusual research brief. He studies a group of hippos in northwestern Colombia who trace their origins to the private zoo of drug lord Pablo Escobar. When Escobar was shot dead by police in 1993, the Colombian government seized his entire estate - but his four hippos were left to fend for themselves. They’ve lived wild in the area since then, and the group now number between 80 and 100. Along with biologist Nelson Aranguren-Riaño, Jonathan has published his study on the impact of the hippos - considered an ‘invasive species’ - on the local ecosystem. It will help to determine the future of the hippos in the area.

Presenter: Rajan Datar
Producer: Alice Gioia

Picture: Hippos at the Hacienda Nápoles ranch in Colombia
Credit: Getty Images

Published on Tuesday, 24th March 2020.

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