Authorities confirm progress in the plan to manage hippopotamuses in Puerto Boyacá

Although hippopotamuses are a species native to sub-Saharan Africa, they were introduced in Colombia in 1985 by the then drug trafficker Pablo Escobar, who smuggled 2 to 6 specimens of this species into the country.

It was not until after his death that the hippopotamuses were left unattended within the 3,000 hectares that make up the Hacienda Nápoles, 100 km from Medellín, where they reproduced.

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Over time, some specimens escaped from the ranch and by 2012 it was estimated that there were about 35 hippos in Colombia in the Magdalena Medio area. By 2020, estimates indicated that there could be between 60 and 80 hippos.

In view of this situation, and after the declaration of the hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius) as an invasive exotic species, the Subdirection of Ecosystems and Environmental Management of the Corporación Autónoma Regional de Boyacá (Corpoboyacá) is leading the work to map the hippo population nuclei in the areas adjacent to the Magdalena River and within the jurisdiction of Corpoboyacá. The work is being carried out together with the fishing community of the municipality.

According to Corpoboyacá, the hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius) are an invasive species that causes problems in the ecology of the area and disturbs ecosystems. It also represents a socioeconomic risk to various members of the communities in the area, as well as to the entities.

Katherine Corrales, who is part of Corpoboyacá’s Invasive Species team, calls on the community to understand the risks posed by hippopotamuses in the area:

“We know that the Hippopotamus affects the habitat of native species such as Otter, Caiman and river fish, it is also an animal that is an engineer of ecosystems, that is to say that where he is he generates a change in their conditions. We know that the Magdalena River has many problems, so we need everyone’s commitment to manage and control this invasive species”, said Corrales.

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Management plan for hippopotamuses in Puerto Boyacá

In February 2022, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development declared the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) as an invasive exotic species in our country. In view of this declaration, Corpoboyacá has been carrying out several actions aimed at a management plan for the hippopotamus in the municipality of Puerto Boyacá.

The plan’s inputs, according to Corpoboyacá, include a diagnosis of the territory, documentation of experiences in awareness and education workshops, and interviews with the region’s community. Based on this information, the environmental authority develops a control and management plan for the area’s hippos.

For the deputy director of Ecosystems and Environmental Management of Corpoboyacá, engineer Sonia Natalia Vásquez, the visits carried out by the authority are part of a campaign to raise awareness and accompany the community to prevent risks that may arise:

“The objective of these visits is to carry out awareness campaigns and accompaniment days, with a preventive approach and recommendations regarding the risks that may arise, framed according to the guideline defined by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, regarding the recent declaration of the Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), as an invasive exotic species”, said Vasquez.

For her part, biologist Nataly Castelblanco applauded the work of the autonomous corporation in monitoring and socializing the problem of “invasive hippopotamuses”:

Las corporaciones haciendo trabajo de monitoreo y socialización del problema de los #HipopótamosInvasores es todo lo que está bien.#EspeciesExóticasInvasoras #LasCosasPorSuNombre https://t.co/5nGKb9VvOr

— Nataly Castelblanco (@N_CastelblancoM) August 28, 2023

In turn, Corpoboyacá assures that it will continue working together with other autonomous corporations in accompanying the communities and designing strategies to address the environmental problems that endanger the community of Puerto Boyacá.

Finally, it affirmed that the measures adopted will be in accordance with the guidelines of the National Environmental System (SINA), assured the regional autonomous entity.

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