The considered “invasive species” of hippos, which were brought to the country by drug trafficker Pablo Escobar Gaviria, has become a serious environmental problem, due to the multiplication of the four specimens that were initially brought to the Nápoles farm, imported from the United States. United States, and which today is estimated between 165 and 200, which are found in the wild along the Magdalena River, lakes and lagoons in the country.
In a sculptural proposal of three copies, the plastic artist Adolfo Jácome Camacho has wanted to capture this problem that exists in the country and whose case is in the Council of State, where it will be defined if it is really an “invasive species”, which would lead to a more radical solution such as the physical elimination of the specimens and the protests of environmental organizations.
In a report, the journalist Elliot Doornbos detailed this situation that the National Government must solve today, with another feasible proposal such as the transfer of copies to some countries, but making a million-dollar investment.
The proposal of the vallenato artist is exhibited on one side of the Alfonso López square, by the sixth race, and is made of resin. The exhibition open to the public seeks to draw attention and reflect on the environmental problem generated, after more than 30 years of having been introduced to the country.
Some of the problems detected are: the increase in the animal population, attacks on people, accidents caused by leaving the vehicle sections unexpectedly, the increase in illegal traffic due to the capture and marketing of some of them.
It is considered that they have also affected the aquatic ecosystem by preying on the banks and contaminating the waters with their fecal matter, killing some aquatic species.