According to reports, the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Ohio has legally recognized the “cocaine hippos” once owned by Pablo Escobar.
The hippos were reportedly brought to Colombia for a private zoo he once had in the 1980s, and there were allegedly only four hippos at the time. Most of the animals in Escobar’s private zoo were taken to zoos where they could be taken care of, following his death in 1993. However, the four hippos remained in Colombia because they were too heavy to be transported. The hippos took refuge at the Magdalena River and now have grown to a population of 80. Because of that, the remaining hippos have reportedly been damaging the ecosystem and attacking locals in the area.
A legal case related to the hippos found Colombia suggesting that the hippos be killed, which was referred to as a “cull.” However, a ruling was made saying the remaining population of hippos be considered as people. This means Pablo Escobar’s “cocaine hippos” would be the first non-humans to be legally considered humans.
Animal Legal Defense Fund attorney Christopher Berry spoke on the matter, saying “It’s obvious that animals actually do have legal rights, for example, the right not to be cruelly abused or killed ... but a legal right is only as valuable as one’s right to enforce that legal right. The legal system doesn’t ... have precedent for animals’ interests directly appearing in court. There’s no precedent for animals having a legal standing to enforce their own rights.”
source: Insider
