Emily Chan
In November 2023, Susana Muhamad, the minister of environment and sustainable development in Colombia, announced a plan to mitigate the population of invasive hippos, which includes sterilization, relocation, and “ethical” euthanasia in some cases. Each sterilization will cost about $10,000. The goal is to complete 40 procedures per year.
The process of sterilizing the animals is no easy task. The hippos spend most of their time in the water and only come out at night.
So, the operation has to take place wherever they are located, which isn’t really convenient for veterinarians.
Furthermore, the surgery takes six to eight hours to complete with a team of eight people. The hippos also have internal reproductive organs, so the operation is incredibly invasive.
Shortly after the announcement, 40 hippos were sterilized, and 70 hippos were brought to India and Mexico. Hopefully, these measures will help curb the hippo population and keep the community safe.
