Colombians are divided over the fate of hippos linked to Pablo Escobar

Along the Magdalena River, one of Colombia’s primary arteries, fishermen move with wary precision. Hippopotamuses can surface without warning, closing the distance to a vessel in a single heartbeat. ‘These hippos are a true nightmare,’ said fisherman Wilinton Sánchez about animals capable of charging at speeds of up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) per hour in water and 30 kilometers (18 miles) on land. The invasive species, descendants of those illegally brought by Pablo Escobar in the 1980s, have become a focal point of debate over their future.

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