Miami Ghost Chronicles
  • Miami Ghost Chronicles
    • Contact and Support
  • MP Pellicer | Author
  • Eerie News
  • Stranger Than Fiction Blog
  • Paranormal Chit Chat
  • Stories of the Supernatural
    • SOS Season 13 Jan to June 2023
    • SOS Season 12 July - Dec 2022
    • SOS Season 11 Jan - June 2022
    • SOS Season 10 July - Dec 2021
    • SOS Season 9 Jan - June 2021
    • SOS Season 8 July - Dec 2020 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S8
    • SOS Season 7 Jan - June 2020 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S7
    • SOS Season 6 July - Dec 2019 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S6
    • SOS Season 5 Jan - June 2019 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S5
    • SOS Season 4 July - Dec 2018 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S4
    • SOS Season 3 Jan - June 2018 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S3
    • SOS Season 2 July to Dec. 2017 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S2
    • SOS Season 1 Feb - June 2017 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S1
  • Case Files & Investigations
    • Apparitions at the Asylum >
      • Rolling Hills Asylum
      • Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
    • Cemeteries >
      • Pinewood Cemetery
    • Haunted Hotels >
      • Brookdale Lodge
    • Haunted Holy Places >
      • Convent at Chacachacare Island
      • The Legend of St. Ann's Retreat
    • Haunted Prisons >
      • West Virginia Penitentiary
    • Historical Haunts >
      • Bobby Mackey's Music World
      • Drayton Hall Plantation
      • The Myrtles Plantation
    • Paranormal Cases >
      • Cases 2014
      • Cases 2015
      • Investigations I
      • Investigations II
      • Investigations III
      • Investigations IV
      • Investigations V
      • Investigations VI
      • Investigations VII
    • Animal Hauntings
    • Florida Haunted History >
      • Abandoned, Forgotten & Haunted
      • Belleview Biltmore Hotel
      • Biltmore Hotel
      • Coral Castle
      • Jonathan Dickinson State Park
      • The Devil Tree
      • Stranahan House
    • Murder Houses >
      • Kreischer Mansion




Pablo Escobar's Unintended Legacy: Cocaine Hippos

4/14/2022

0 Comments

 
Pablo Escobar's hippos (source - (Picture: AP/Getty)
By M.P. Pellicer | Eerie.News
​During the 1980s, drug kingpin Pablo Escobar smuggled 4 hippopotamuses into his estate Hacienda Napoles. He was killed in 1993, and the animals were abandoned. 

PictureThe hippos were shot with darts to inject them with a medicine called GonaCon which is a contraceptive for males and females (Source - CORNARE/AFP via Getty Images)
Without any natural predators they have thrived and now number approximately 200, with the herd estimated to more than double in the next eight years. They have been declared an invasive species in Colombia.​

Escobar's plans were to build up an exotic zoo of wild animals, however after his death many of the animals died, and those that survived were moved to zoos around the country, but the hippos were considered too large and difficult to move.

The 5,500-acre ranch located in the municipality of Puerto Triunfo, 124 miles north of Bogotá, and the surrounding wetlands, provided an environment in which the hippos thrived. Their descendants started showing up about 10 years ago.

In late 2021, the Colombian government authorized for 24 hippos to be chemically sterilized, and there are discussions of culling the herd.

However the communities at Puerto Triunfo welcome the presence of the hippos. They "have become a part of the local identity".

Biologist warn the hippos can damage the biodiversity in the rivers, as well as negatively affecting crops as they are herbivores which eat large amounts of food. They are aggressive, and are known to kill people.

PictureThe ‘cocaine hippos’ are considered an invasive species (Source - Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The hippos have invaded extensive areas of the Magdalena River basin in Colombia, and without any natural predators and the warm weather, they have done what all species do: reproduce. They have been found as far away as 124 miles from Puerto Triunfo.

In 2007, complaints were made when crops were damaged, and a male called Pepe who attacked fishermen and killed six pigs was shot by a German hunter brought in by the Colombian government. Several animal rights groups protested the action, and the hunt for hippos was suspended. In 2012, a court prohibited it.

PictureThe original entrance to Hacienda Nápoles, a replica of his Piper PA-18 Super Cub airplane. This was the small plane that had transported his very first shipment of cocaine to the United States — a decision that clearly led to the wealth and prestige he enjoyed. (Source - Eric VANDEVILLE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Escobar purchased his 7.7 mile estate in 1978. He constructed a Spanish-style colonial mansion, an airport, several swimming pools, man-made lakes and a sculpture garden. And let's not forget a zoo for exotic animals.

In 2006, the estate was declared the property of the Colombian state. Its value was estimated at $2.23 million. 
By the 2010s, a private company began operating the Parque Temático Hacienda Nápoles.

It is now a family-friendly theme park with water attractions, a wildlife sanctuary, and museums. 

Thousands of tourists come from all over the world, and the hippos are one of the main attractions.

There is no denying that Escobar's connection to the park is a drawing point. Between the years it was abandoned and its reclamation as a tourist attraction, the hilltop ruins was ransacked by treasure seekers. Holes were dug in the floors in search of a stash of cash, and one over-the-top individual even showed up with backhoe. Despite the passages of time, 
people are still caught sneaking into the grounds hoping to dig up and find any of Pablo's money.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Eerie News | Stories of the Mysterious and Unexplained

    M.P. Pellicer

    ​For all the latest news articles and stories about the world of the paranormal and the unexplained.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Donate via Buy Me a Coffee
    Get new posts by email:
    Powered by follow.it
    Tweets by EerieNewsToday


    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022

    Categories

    All
    Abandoned Places
    Afterlife & NDE
    Alien Invasion
    Alien Life Form
    Alien Visitation
    Ancient Customs
    Ancient Disaster
    Ancient Discovery
    Ancient Necropolis
    Ancient Origins
    Animals
    Anthropology
    Archaeology
    Artificial Intelligence
    Atlantis
    Bermuda Triangle
    Biblical Mystery
    Bigfoot
    Blood Rituals
    Burials
    Catholic Church
    Celebrity Deaths
    Celebrity Story
    Cemeteries
    Cemetery Story
    Cold Case
    Cold Cases
    Cold Case Solved
    Colombia
    Crime Lord
    Crime Story
    Cryptid Story
    Cryptozoology
    Cursed Objects
    Cursed Places
    Cursed Tomb
    Cursed Voyage
    Curses
    Curses And Hexes
    Dangerous Places
    Dark Ages
    Dark History
    Dinosaur Discovery
    DNA & Cloning
    Dogman Sighting
    Doll Cemetery
    Drug Lord
    Earthquakes
    Endangered Species
    Endurance
    Exorcisms
    Extinct Animals
    Extinct Wildlife
    Future World
    Ghost Hunting
    Ghosts
    Ghost Story
    Great Lakes Mystery
    Haunted Hotel
    Haunted House
    Haunted Lake
    Haunted Lighthouse
    Haunted Pond
    Haunted Roads
    Haunted Texas
    Hidden Treasure
    Historical Mystery
    History
    Human Cloning
    Human Remains
    Human Sacrifice
    Hypnosis
    Ides Of March
    Invasive Species
    Jane Doe
    Lights In The Sky
    Living In Modern Times
    Lost City
    Lost Treasure
    Mansion Murders
    Maritime Mystery
    Medical Breakthroughs
    Men In Black
    Miami Cold Case
    Missing Person
    Mob Crimes
    Monsters
    Moon
    Murder Mystery
    Murders
    Mysterious Phenomena
    Mystery
    Nautical Mystery
    New Orleans Story
    Occult
    Old Camberwell Cemetery
    Old West Stories
    Outer Space
    Paranormal
    Paranormal News
    Paranormal Podcast
    Paranormal Story
    Peruvian Mummies
    Pop Culture
    Prepping
    Relic
    Rockets
    Science
    Secret Burials
    Serial Killer
    Shackleton
    Siamese Twins
    South America
    Space Exploration
    Spirituality
    Strange Anthropology
    Strange Collectibles
    Strange Discovery
    Strange Earth
    Strange Fairy Tale
    Strange Insects
    Strange Legends
    Strange Memorial
    Strange Obituary
    Strange Places To Die
    Strange Real Estate
    Strange Sighting
    Strange Skies
    Sunken Ships
    Sunken Treasure
    Time Keeping
    Transgender Serial Killer
    True Crime
    Tsunami
    UFO
    Unexplained Disappearances
    Urban Myth
    Vampires
    Weather Anomaly
    Weird Occurences
    Weird Science
    Werewolf Of Camberwell

    RSS Feed

    Fair Use Act Disclaimer - This site is for educational purposes only. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976
    Copyright © 1999-2023 Eleventh Hour LLC. All Rights Reserved ®
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Miami Ghost Chronicles
    • Contact and Support
  • MP Pellicer | Author
  • Eerie News
  • Stranger Than Fiction Blog
  • Paranormal Chit Chat
  • Stories of the Supernatural
    • SOS Season 13 Jan to June 2023
    • SOS Season 12 July - Dec 2022
    • SOS Season 11 Jan - June 2022
    • SOS Season 10 July - Dec 2021
    • SOS Season 9 Jan - June 2021
    • SOS Season 8 July - Dec 2020 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S8
    • SOS Season 7 Jan - June 2020 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S7
    • SOS Season 6 July - Dec 2019 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S6
    • SOS Season 5 Jan - June 2019 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S5
    • SOS Season 4 July - Dec 2018 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S4
    • SOS Season 3 Jan - June 2018 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S3
    • SOS Season 2 July to Dec. 2017 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S2
    • SOS Season 1 Feb - June 2017 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S1
  • Case Files & Investigations
    • Apparitions at the Asylum >
      • Rolling Hills Asylum
      • Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
    • Cemeteries >
      • Pinewood Cemetery
    • Haunted Hotels >
      • Brookdale Lodge
    • Haunted Holy Places >
      • Convent at Chacachacare Island
      • The Legend of St. Ann's Retreat
    • Haunted Prisons >
      • West Virginia Penitentiary
    • Historical Haunts >
      • Bobby Mackey's Music World
      • Drayton Hall Plantation
      • The Myrtles Plantation
    • Paranormal Cases >
      • Cases 2014
      • Cases 2015
      • Investigations I
      • Investigations II
      • Investigations III
      • Investigations IV
      • Investigations V
      • Investigations VI
      • Investigations VII
    • Animal Hauntings
    • Florida Haunted History >
      • Abandoned, Forgotten & Haunted
      • Belleview Biltmore Hotel
      • Biltmore Hotel
      • Coral Castle
      • Jonathan Dickinson State Park
      • The Devil Tree
      • Stranahan House
    • Murder Houses >
      • Kreischer Mansion