Colombia is sterilizing invasive hippos from Pablo Escobar’s estate

By then, the hippos could have finished irreversible harm to the atmosphere, and their numbers shall be inconceivable to regulate, researchers stated. Authorities this 12 months have intervened, utilizing a chemical contraceptive to sterilize the animals with out the blowback that might come from exterminating what has grown to develop into “the city pet.” Developed by the U.S. Division of Agriculture, the drug GonaCon inhibits manufacturing of an animal’s intercourse hormones, equivalent to estrogen and testosterone, placing it in “a nonreproductive state.” The USDA donated 55 doses of the drug to Columbian wildlife officers.