The Legacy of Hacienda Napoles

One of Pablo Escobar’s strangest legacies was not drugs. It was hippos. In the 1980s,

at the height of his power, Escobar filled his luxurious estate. Hacienda Napoles,

with exotic and rare animals. Giraffes. Ostriches. Camels.

And among them, four hippopotamuses. One male. Three females. Years later,

in 1993, when Escobar was killed, most of his animals were transferred

to zoos. All of them, except the hippos. Moving them was considered too dangerous

and expensive. So they were left behind. And Colombia’s rivers became paradise.

Abundant water. Perfect humidity. And most importantly, no droughts like those in Africa