Where hippos became American
We are sitting in a small boat in the middle of a huge river. The heat is stifling, there is not a breath of wind. The afternoon sun is merciless, and we seek shelter as best we can in the sparse shade of the trees near the bank. This is how we imagine a safari in Africa. But actually, we are somewhere else entirely.
The heat should be perfect for observing these animals. On the first day, however, luck is not on our side. Not a single pachyderm appears. ‘Huh, aren’t you in South America?’ you may ask. Yes, that’s right, and this text is based on true events. No, we’re not at the zoo either. We’re on a hippo safari on the Magdalena River in Colombia.
Free roaming hippos in America?
There are now almost 200 hippos frolicking in the waters of the Magdalena River. Some, like our guide Yamit, already refer to them as a native species: the American hippopotamus. They are all descended from four specimens. These escaped and went their own way – just like their owner. Who could that be?
Hacienda Nápoles. Never heard of it? Pablo Escobar. Of course! He was Colombia’s biggest drug lord, his story has been made into a film, and it goes much further than you might think. Just to remind you: Colombian hippos. Who would have thought?
Escobar had many eccentricities that he could afford with his millions. Among other things, he had a zoo built in the 1980s: Hacienda Nápoles. Animals were flown in from all over the world, including hippos from a US zoo. Today, Hacienda Nápoles is a zoo and theme park that entertains the Colombian middle class.
After the owner was killed, the zoo animals were distributed to other zoos – but nobody wanted the hippos. However, they multiplied and made their way to freedom.
The Río Magdalena, one of Colombia’s largest rivers, has a climate similar to that of the hippos’ native habitat in Africa. Thus, the savannah of Colombia became their new home. No longer confined and with no natural enemies, the four hippos multiplied rapidly. According to estimates, there were already 169 in 2023, and according to Yamit, there are now around 200.
We want to see one or two of them too. Hacienda Nápoles is known in Colombia for its hippos. Nevertheless, the wild animals are still largely undisturbed. No hordes of tourists populate the river yet.
Hippos looking after river turtles financially
We contact Yamit from Tortugario. He is one of the few who sensed a business opportunity and we book a hippo safari in Colombia with him.
The village of Estación Cocorná is located on a tributary of the Río Magdalena. It once had a railway station that connected the agricultural region with Medellín. The area was dominated by Escobar and the people were not doing too badly. They worked in agriculture and livestock farming as well as coca cultivation, and Escobar paid for the school supplies of the local children. It was just better to keep quiet.
Yamit’s family lived with this reality and adapted; but they were still a little different. The mother followed an education in biology and environmental protection. One day, while travelling on the river, they noticed that there were almost no turtles. Their eggs were stolen by poachers and their meat was considered a delicacy. So she decided to save the turtles. Her project envisaged a breeding and protection station: the Tortugario in Estación Cocorná.
More than ten years later, it has been a complete success. The turtles are back. We have seen them swimming in large numbers along the shore. But species conservation alone does not bring in any money. So, the family has set up a tour company and offers river trips along the Río Cocorná down to the Magdalena River. Exactly at the point where the two rivers meet a small hippo colony has also settled.
Coliving in the area
On the second day, we are lucky. In the morning, we drive to the vicinity of Hacienda Nápoles. There are small lagoons outside. At one of them, the landowner has a small shop and, in exchange for a Coke, he lets us visit the hippos. There are four: three adults and a baby. They lie in the pond and don’t let themselves be disturbed. That’s just as well, because there are few trees nearby where we could have sought refuge. And hippos are fast and dangerous – at least in Africa. In Colombia, Yamit claims, they have not yet killed anyone, but there are repeated attacks on humans.
In the afternoon, we decide to go down the river again. Again, a long wait. The sun is about to set. The light refracts in the water, which looks beautiful.
There, we see a hippopotamus! It keeps popping up briefly at the surface and then diving back down into the murky water. It seems curious, or maybe it wants to defend its territory. It keeps turning towards us and then diving abruptly. Yamit pulls on the gas and drives off – you never know if it’s planning an underwater attack. The locals nearby don’t seem impressed at all. Without batting an eyelid, they drive onto the beach and collect sand. The hippo must be somewhere under their boat, but it leaves them alone. Hats off, I wouldn’t have that kind of courage!
A little further up the river, we discover a second specimen. It is slowly getting dark, but we enjoy the sight. We keep a safe distance in the boat with the engine running because this hippo keeps jumping out of the water and we are clearly in its territory.
How much longer will American hippos be around?
However, hippos are an invasive species. No matter how often Yamit says he thinks they now belong here, the Colombian government decided back in 2018 to sterilise the animals in order to limit their population. But the plan was not so easy to implement. In 2023, it was decided not only to focus on castration, but also to possibly move some animals to other countries or even euthanise them. However, not much has happened yet – and probably won’t happen anytime soon. So we still had the chance to see the animals in their American home.
The sun has set, and we head upstream by torchlight. Back to the Land Cruiser, which is parked on the banks of the Cocorná River. Close, but far enough away from the hippos’ territory. That way, they can’t overrun us in the middle of the night. Who would have thought it: hippos in Colombia – another impressive experience on our trip!