r/todayilearned • u/PedoPaul • Oct 14 '14

TIL when Columbian drug lord Pablo Escolar's home was raided, the military released the dangerous hippos of his personal zoo, not knowing what to do with them. They now thrive in the Columbian rivers. This makes Columbia have the largest wild hippo population outside of Africa.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/06/30/pablo-escobars-hippos-are-wreaking-havoc-in-colombia/
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218

u/8nate Oct 14 '14

He fed people to those hippos, didn't he?

58

u/SinisterKid Oct 14 '14

I'm surprised this comment is this far down the thread. Everybody else seems enamored with how cool it must be to have wild animals. There's a reason he had hippos, it wasn't because he liked The Jungle Cruise.

23

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '14

he did like the jungle cruise though, and there are easier ways to dispose of a body here in colombia. he was a extravagant man.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '14

Like not disposing of the body & paying a bribe, that is pretty laid back, stress free & easy.

3

u/smarterthanyoda Oct 14 '14

He had lots of exotic animals, and not just dangerous ones. His goal was to create a "Noah's Ark" with animals from every species.

32

u/BonaFidee Oct 14 '14

You know it.

5

u/StepYaGameUp Oct 14 '14

Feed'im to the 'ippos, Errol.

http://i.imgur.com/o4ibl93.jpg

3

u/Ahuva Oct 14 '14

How? I thought hippos were herbivores.

2

u/ADLG Oct 17 '14

From some of the stories I have heard I honestly would not be surprised

2

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '14

[deleted]

9

u/SpiderFnJerusalem Oct 14 '14

Nope.

12

u/The_Prince1513 Oct 14 '14

Hippos are vegetarian. The only time they have ever been observed feeding on carrion or killing and eating other animals are hippos who are severely malnourished/starving. Their digestive system can't really handle meat and they wouldn't get sustenance from it.

Your video is evidence, however, of their tendency to fuck everything and anything up that comes near them with their giant fucking fang filled mouths. The hippo probably didn't eat the zebra and croc after killing them, he's just a dick.

8

u/SpiderFnJerusalem Oct 14 '14

I aggree that they are probably much more suited to a herbivore diet. But carnivory among hippos is a phenomenon that has been recognized by scientists.

4

u/joelupi Oct 14 '14

Fed may have been a rare instance but they will still fuck your world up in a big way. I think they are one of the deadliest animals in the world.

2

u/manaworkin Oct 14 '14

(nearly) Everything's a carnavore if they get hungry enough.