Hippo Mucho

Let us start with a free-association-exercise! I say "Pablo Escobar"! And you immediately think….. drug lord, cocaine, Colombia….. Medellín Cartel? Well done! Still missing something essential.... (for some people, obviously). You guessed it: Hippos! A few weeks ago, a friend (who also got one hippo named after her) asked me whether I knew about the hippos of Pablo Escobar? Excuse me? Immediately, I went on the net and within 0.24 seconds, I got 28,400 hits (I am probably the last hippo-enthusiast on the planet, to find out about them…). A recap: Mr. Escobar had a small Zoo.  After his assassination (December 2, 1993) most of the other animals were captured… except for his 4 hippos, being clever enough to stay in the middle of their pond (I can imagine the scene... tough guys, being told to capture the animals.... looking at those 4 units in the pond... "how are we going to.....  definately not going into the water..... Oh... whatever.... forget it"). The electricity was cut off, not only to the ranch and all the security installations around the “Hacienda Nápoles” but also to the fence, that kept the hippos in their enclosure. Since 1993, these hippos have not only been busy multiplying (there are around 20.... They think…) but also with exploring and getting themselves into trouble, and even being shot at and killed (July 11, 2009).  And it is only going to get worse….. How do you explain that those: all-crops-eating, everything-demolishing, aggressive creatures, are just abandoned pets? I will check on them once in a while, and keep you posted on those wild hippos that are not only in the wrong place but safe to say: on the wrong continent.