SUVs Are Even Killing Pablo Escobar’s Hippo Now

A hippo spotted practicing its killing tactics.

You know what it’s like when you’re driving down the highway and an animal jumps out in front of your car. You slam on the anchors or swerve out of the way of a fox, loose cat or other four-legged friend. Now just imagine the shock of a driver in Colombia who had to do just that — but to avoid a hippo. And not just any hippo, but Pablo Escobar’s hippo.

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The hippo in question was the descendant of a thunder of hippo that was introduced into Colombia by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the early 1980s. The Medellín Cartel leader shipped the animals from their native Africa to Colombia where they were housed at his private zoo at Hacienda Nápoles.

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But since their introduction to the country 40 years ago, the animals have run wild and now number more than 130. It’s gotten so bad that the hippo are now deemed an invasive species in the country, and environmental experts warn that they could soon number 400. That’s because the hippo have no natural predators in Columbia and are free to roam and reproduce wherever they like.

This hippo is scoping out its next victim.