The fire department in Colombia has reported that a hippopotamus was hit and killed by a vehicle on the Bogota-Medellin highway. The incident occurred near the estate where the late drug lord Pablo Escobar had introduced the semi-aquatic mammal that has now become an invasive species.
The animal, weighing more than a ton, was found lying on the road near a hacienda that belonged to Escobar. Maria Magdalena Perez, fire department commander in the northwest municipality of Puerto Triunfo, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday night.
The cocaine baron, killed in a 1993 shootout with police, had brought a small herd of hippos to Colombia in the late 1980s.
After his death, the animals were left to roam freely in the Antioquia department's hot, marshy area. Environmental authorities have been unable to curb the population, which now stands at 150 animals.
The latest hippo car crash destroyed the front end of a pickup truck, but no people were injured.
"There was only one lad, unharmed," said Perez.
A hippo was also involved in a car crash in the same area in December, but firefighters said the animal survived.
Colombia's environment ministry declared the hippos an invasive species last year, which opened the door to an eventual cull.
Earlier efforts at a sterilization program to control the population failed.
Experts warn that the animals' uncontrolled reproduction threatens the local population and wildlife.
In March, the governor of Antioquia announced a plan to transfer 70 hippos to overseas sanctuaries in Mexico and India.
The operation is expected to cost $3.5 million and involves transporting the hippos about 150 kilometers (93 miles) by land to the nearest international airport.
