Pablo Escobar’s herd of randy cocaine hippos could turn into an army of 1,400 as beasts are  ‘completely out of control’

PABLO Escobar’s horny “completely out of control” hippos are multiplying so rapidly that cops worry they could total 1,400.

Since the notorious kingpin was shot to death by cops in Medellín in 1993, officials have been working tirelessly to halt the randy animal from breeding.

Alamy

Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot in 1993 but his hippos still pose issues[/caption]

AFP

Escobar kept aggressive animals like hippos at his Hacienda Napoles estate[/caption]

While the infamous Colombian drug lord raked in millions selling coke and enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle, he also maintained a bizarre menagerie displaying intimidating animals like imported hippos.

Cops in Colombia have considered many approaches in a bid to exterminate the deadly animal not native to Latin America.

Last year, Colombia‘s Environment Minister Susana Muhamad announced that they intended to solve the issue.

She said a culling programme would run alongside a sterilisation one sending the randy beasts to new homes in other countries.

But since then no action has been taken.

The terrifying creatures were rounded up last year but wildlife specialists bemoan that they’re still awaiting permits to move over 70 of them.

The hair-raising herd, now nearly 170 strong, was bred in the wild from four original hippos who escaped after the cocaine king was shot dead 30 years ago.

Escobar’s personal zoo housed an array of animal species.

At the peak of his drug empire he employed over a staggering 1,000 house staff and even had a bullring and theme park in his estate.

In 1998, the Colombian government seized control of his luxury home and transferred the majority of his animals to domestic zoos.

However, not all of them made the cut as they were too classed as too dangerous to relocate and several have since multiplied and ruined crop.

The Guardian report that three female hippos and one male hippo were considered too dangerous to move.

Alarmingly, experts say their population could rise over 1,400 by 2035 if their numbers are not checked.

Francisco Sánchez, an environmental official, said: “They’ll get all the way to the sea, because they will just follow the Magdalena River.

“It’s completely out of control.”

Cops are keen to castrate wild hippos despite public outcry at their previous attempt to slaughter the beasts.

One hippo produces up to a whopping 9kg of waste in a day. In Africa, where the beast originates, its faeces provided key nutrients for fish and rivers and lakes to feed on.

However, the dung has reached toxic levels and killed some life that used to thrive off its nutrients.

Now scientists fear the hippos’ excrement could threaten fish species in Colombia too.

San Diego State University ecologist Rebecca Lewison told The Guardian: “If I lived in Colombia, I would be worried.

“Colombia has great biodiversity, and this is not a system that has evolved to support a mega-herbivore.”

AP

Colombian scientists fear their poop could wipe out fish species like they have in Africa[/caption]