Abstract

MONSALVE BURITICA, Santiago  and  RAMIREZ GUERRA, Alejandro. Current status of hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius) in Colombia: 2018. Ces. Med. Vet. Zootec. [online]. 2018, vol.13, n.3, pp.338-346. ISSN 1900-9607.  https://doi.org/10.21615/cesmvz.13.3.4.

In 1985, Pablo Escobar brought to Colombia between two to six young hippos, during these 20 years they have mated and have been moving by the geographic area of Magdalena Medio. At present, it is believed that there could be between 10 to 30 free hippos near a large part of the Magdalena River, and a total population of about 60 in the country. Hippos in Colombia are an exotic and introduced specie that with time will become potentially invasive since they may represent environmental competition that puts native species in risk. The effects caused by the species are diverse, ranging from habitat alteration, to the disruption of ecosystem processes. Hippos in Colombia constitute a serious threat to native species and the stability of the affected environmental systems. The measures for its control should be established immediately (Destination of big budgets for capturing, birth control and maintenance in captivity or euthanasia) as the native aquatic and fishery biological resources could disappear over time.

Keywords : Hippopotamus amphibius; introduced species; castration; euthanasia.

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