Guardian
•70% Informative
Pablo Escobar imported four hippos from Africa to join giraffes, camels, ostriches and other exotic animals in the menagerie at his lavish Hacienda Nápoles estate in the 1980s.
Since the hippos escaped after the capo’s death in 1993, the government has repeatedly failed to tame the booming population.
It tried culling the animals in 2009 but had to stop after a graphic photo caused national outrage.
Now the regional government wants to try a new strategy, they hope the animals can be shipped abroad.
One study estimated that by 2034 the hippos will number 1,400.
Each hippo eats about 40kg of grass a night meaning their excrement alone is poisoning the water, killing fish and jeopardising the river’s rich biodiversity.
The hippos are also increasingly coming into conflict with the local people and hippo attacks have become more common in recent years.
VR Score
66
Informative language
61
Neutral language
59
Article tone
informal
Language
English
Language complexity
44
Offensive language
likely offensive
Hate speech
hateful
Attention-grabbing headline
not detected
Known propaganda techniques
not detected
Time-value
short-lived
External references
5
Source diversity
3
Affiliate links
no affiliate links