NATURE . WILDLIFE

THE HUNT FOR ESCOBAR’S HIPPOS

50' (ENG, GER)

Hacienda Nápoles in rural Colombia was once the haunt of billionaire drug lord Pablo Escobar, who just so happened to have a soft spot for exotic animals – particularly Hippopotami!

Pablo Escobar created his personal zoo, and after his reign of terror, many animals simply escaped into the wilderness. Four hippos have become a hundred; and with no natural predators and a year-round abundance of water and luscious grass to feed on, Colombia is hippo paradise. But the hippo situation is a ticking ecological time bomb in urgent need of defusing, as they pose a serious threat to human lives and to the country’s native wildlife and ecosystem. Vets and scientists now try to deal with Escobar’s terrifying legacy.