hippopotamus

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Pablo Escobar's Hippos' Descendants Being Sterilized

Colombia fears without action, the animals could number 1K by 2035

(Newser) - Colombia on Tuesday began the sterilization of hippopotamuses, descendants of animals illegally brought to the country by late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in the 1980s, the AP reports. Two male hippos and one female underwent surgical sterilization, environmental authorities said. It is part of a larger government effort to control...

Colombia Finally Has a Plan for Escobar's Hippos

At least half will be shipped to India and Mexico, and more will go elsewhere later

(Newser) - Colombia plans to round up about half of Pablo Escobar's famous hippos and ship them out of the country. Wildlife authorities in the nation say they have struck a deal to fly a total of about 70 hippos to sanctuaries and zoos in India and Mexico, reports the Washington ...

Fiona the Hippo Gets a Sibling
Zoo Welcomes
New Hippo
Aug 4, 2022 5:46 PM CDT

Zoo Welcomes New Hippo

Newborn calf, sibling to famed Fiona, already is walking at the Cincinnati Zoo

(Newser) - The Cincinnati Zoo is celebrating the birth of a full-term hippopotamus that is a sibling to Fiona, who became a global celebrity when she was born prematurely in 2017. The baby hippo was born Wednesday night. "This new calf weighs at least twice as much as Fiona did and...

Zoo Hippos Test Positive for COVID
Zoo Hippos Test
Positive for COVID
Dec 6, 2021 1:21 PM CST

Zoo Hippos Test Positive for COVID

Zoo says only symptom was 'expelling snot'

(Newser) - Add hippos to the list of animals that can be infected with the coronavirus. In what zookeepers believe is a world first, two hippos at a zoo in Belgium tested positive for COVID-19 after workers noticed they had runny noses, the Washington Post reports. Keepers say that apart from "...

Escobar Had 4 Hippos. Dozens Now Threaten Colombia

Wildlife officials are now sterilizing the invasive species, whose population has exploded

(Newser) - Play a word association game using "Pablo Escobar" to start, and you'll likely hear such terms as "drug lord," "cocaine," and "murderer." "Hippos" may also come up if you're playing with anyone from Colombia, where the animals have surged in...

There's Only One Option: Kill Pablo Escobar's Hippos

Unchecked, Colombian herd will hit ecosystem's carrying capacity by 2039: experts

(Newser) - In the 6.5 years since we last visited Pablo Escobar's hippo herd , it's become illegal to kill any member of the Colombian population, which is considered something of a country emblem. It's no surprise, then, that the non-native animals are breeding out of control in a...

'Worst Gender Reveal' Ever? It Involves a Hippo

Texas couple criticized for their methodology, but zoo says Tank 'enjoyed it'

(Newser) - Some people might say Bridgette and Jonathan Joseph get the prize for the most creative way to find out the sex of their baby; others, not so much. Put Ana Breton in the latter category. "I did it. I found the worst gender reveal," she tweeted Saturday, along...

US Tourist Attacked by Irate Hippo in Zimbabwe

Local media insinuate she was reckless; her husband, mother-in-law push back on that

(Newser) - A tour company offering expeditions down Zimbabwe's Zambezi River is called Wild Horizons, but one Florida woman's canoe adventure turned a bit too wild. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Kristen Yaldor remains in intensive care in a South African hospital after she was attacked on the river...

A Reach Down, a Slap on a Hippo's Butt, Now a Crime Probe

LAPD looking for man who smacked the backside of 4-year-old hippo at Los Angeles Zoo

(Newser) - By now, everyone should know not to get too close to hippos in the wild or in captivity, but a California man didn't get the memo. Officials at the Los Angeles Zoo tell the Los Angeles Times they've recruited the LAPD to help look for a most unusual...

Hippo Kills Chinese Tourist Taking Photos at Kenya Lake

The 66-year-old was one of two fatalities at Lake Naivasha over the weekend

(Newser) - A Chinese tourist was fatally bitten by a hippo while taking photos of it on a lake in Kenya over the weekend. Per BBC , the 66-year-old, identified as, Chang Ming Chuang, was trying to get a glimpse of the giant mammal at a wildlife resort outside Nairobi when it attacked....

Anthrax Eyed in Deaths of 109 Hippos
109 Hippos Turn
Up Dead in a Week
Oct 10, 2017 4:03 AM CDT

109 Hippos Turn Up Dead in a Week

Anthrax suspected of wiping out 8% of Namibia's hippo population

(Newser) - More than 100 hippos in Namibia, including some seen floating on their backs in shallow waterways this week, may have died from an anthrax outbreak that could now affect other species. Officials say 10 dead hippos were discovered in Bwabwata National Park in northeast Namibia last Sunday, followed by another...

Thirst for Ivory Threatens Hippos, Too
Hippos in Danger Because
of Desire for Their Teeth
NEW STUDY
Oct 5, 2017 11:02 AM CDT

Hippos in Danger Because of Desire for Their Teeth

Mismanagement in trade of hippo teeth a bad sign: researchers

(Newser) - It isn't only elephants that are suffering from humans' insatiable thirst for ivory. A new study notes hippopotamuses, already predicted by some to disappear within 100 years, may be dying at unexpected rates to fuel the trade of ivory ornaments made from hippo teeth. Since 1975, 1.7 million...

See Adorable Baby Hippo Without Traveling to Ohio

Cincinnati Zoo's Fiona to get her own Facebook video series

(Newser) - The Cincinnati Zoo says its popular baby hippo will star in an internet video series called The Fiona Show starting next week. The zoo says the first video will be available on the show's Facebook page on Tuesday. It's not clear how many videos are planned or how...

Zoo Visitors Beat Crocodile to Death With Rocks

Government officials are decrying the 'savage behavior'

(Newser) - Tunisian officials are decrying "savage behavior" after visitors to a zoo in Tunis stoned a crocodile to death Tuesday, AFP reports. Officials posted photos of the dead crocodile—with two large, bloody stones next to it—on Facebook (Warning: graphic) . The crocodile died from internal hemorrhaging after being hit...

Country Horrified by Beating Death of Beloved Hippo

Gustavito was killed after brutal beating at El Salvador's national zoo

(Newser) - El Salvador's widespread violence reached an unexpected corner with the brutal and fatal beating of the national zoo's beloved hippopotamus Gustavito. Even among a population numbed by a staggering human death toll due to gang violence in recent years, the animal's death late Sunday stirred outrage. Salvadorans...

South African Park Kills 350 Hippos, Buffalos Amid Drought

Meat from the killed animals will go to poor communities

(Newser) - Rangers in South Africa's biggest wildlife park are killing about 350 hippos and buffalos in an attempt to relieve the impact of a severe drought, the AP reports. The national parks service says the numbers of hippos and buffalos in Kruger National Park, about 7,500 and 47,000...

America's Oldest Hippo Dies
 America's Oldest Hippo Dies 
May 5, 2015 12:22 AM CDT

America's Oldest Hippo Dies

Denver Zoo's venerable Bertie was 58

(Newser) - The oldest hippo in America—and possibly the world—has celebrated his last Bertday. Bertie, a 58-year-old male, was euthanized at Denver Zoo yesterday after keepers noticed a steep decline in the aging animal's quality of life, the Denver Post reports. Hippos don't usually make it much past...

Surprise: Hippo on Birth Control Has Baby

Los Angeles Zoo is pretty happy with its new accident

(Newser) - The Los Angeles Zoo is celebrating its first birth of a hippopotamus in 26 years. It was a bit of surprise, too, because the mother was on birth control. Vets haven't determined the sex of the new hippo, but they say the baby appears to be doing well and...

Drug Lord's Hippos Breeding Out of Control

 Drug Lord's Hippos 
 Breeding Out of Control 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 29, 2014 11:01 AM CDT

Drug Lord's Hippos Breeding Out of Control

Pablo Escobar's foreign beasts terrifying fisherman, eating crops

(Newser) - Colombia is facing an overpopulation issue: a famed drug lord's herd of hippos keeps expanding. Pablo Escobar built himself a zoo in the 1980s, smuggling in a host of exotic animals, including one male and three female hippos. Now, 20 years after the drug boss's death, the hippos...

Man Swallowed by Hippo Lives to Tell Tale

Incredible story of survival in Zambia

(Newser) - "Time passes very slowly when you're in a hippo's mouth," says Paul Templer. He knows firsthand. Templer was attacked by a hippo years ago while paddling on a river in Zambia, where he worked as a tourist guide. "I seemed to be trapped in something...

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