BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Environmental authorities in Colombia say a hippopotamus descended from animals illegally brought to Colombia by the late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar has died in a collision with an SUV near Escobar’s hacienda.
The hippos, which spread from the estate into nearby rivers and now number more than 100, have no natural predators in Colombia and have been declared an invasive species.
The crash late Tuesday showed the additional danger they pose to motorists.
Police say vehicle occupants were unharmed in the accident in the northwest on a highway from Bogotá to Medellín.
Colombia has proposed transferring at least 70 of the animals to India and Mexico as part of a plan to control their population.
