Drought drives hungry hippos into Colombian town

[Judi Lynn]

Source: BBC News

Drought drives hungry hippos into Colombian town
3 hours ago


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Getty Images

Back in the 1980s Pablo Escobar imported elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, zebras and hippos from Africa to graze and wallow at
his many man-made lakes.
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Biologists in Colombia say a drought has forced two hippopotamuses into a town in search of food.

The animals are descendants of a group imported in the 1980s by the notorious drug baron Pablo Escobar for his private zoo near the town of Puerto Triunfo in Antioquia province.

They've been seen grazing in fields with cattle and wandering through the town near the city of Medellin. Local children have been warned to keep away from the animals.

The biologists say they are waiting for specialist dart guns to sedate the hippos so they can move them.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-34960697

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

1. Hope they have enough marbles in town n/m

[Feeling the Bern]

3. Damn you. You stole my joke.

[longship]

5. Obligatory image.

Oh! The humanity!

Actually, hippos are very aggressive and nasty creatures. They are vegetarians, but they would be very happy to kill you.

[wickerwoman]

2. That's not good.

They're one of the most deadly animals in Africa and kill far more people than lions or crocodiles.

[wheniwasincongress]

4. Yes

they need to warn more than just children...and make a serious effort to stress how extremely dangerous they are. They aren't docile cow-like animals.

[longship]

6. Unlike a manatee, and worse than a hungry lion

The hippo does not kill you for food -- they are vegetarians. Hippos kill you because they are outright assholes. At least lions only kill when they are hungry. So if you see a lion who is hungry... RUN! If you see a hippo, hungry or not, GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE!!!

[ornotna]

10. What could go wrong?

They seem friendly enough to me.

[edgineered]

7. Bogart teases the hippos at 1:08

?t=76

[Javaman]

8. ...

[eppur_se_muova]

9. Ummm ... not just a zoo. These were to drive away / endanger intruders.

Man-made lake + hippos = zoological minefield

[daleo]

11. The waiting game sucks

Let's play Hungry, Hungry Hippos.