Cocaine Hippos of Colombia and some Colombian Silver

This morning I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to discuss in my post today. Then I recalled an odd fact that many people don't know. Cocaine usage throughout the world in the 1980's resulted in the hippopotamus being introduced into Colombia. I also had a silver coin I was thinking of sharing in a post as well for some time, and the plan came together!

I'll start off with the coin, it's one I picked up in my years of living in South America. It's a nice silver coin from 1945 featuring Colombian hero Francisco de Paula Santander who was part of securing their independence from Spain and served as president as well. Have a look:

numista.com

It was minted in Bogota, Colombia and produced of 50% silver. Because it was a smaller denomination coin they must have decided to use less silver. It is a nice coin in pretty good condition, but not rare by any means. The silver value of the the coin when I checked this morning was $6.66, I kid you not. I'm sure the value has changed since then, maybe it's demonic coin?

The Cocaine Hippopotamuses of Colombia

novataxa.blogspot.com

mjpureplayindex.com

Yes, there are wild hippopotamuses in South America. The story starts with notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar who smuggled more cocaine around the world in the late 1970's and 1980's than any other. He had his own estate outside of Medellín, Colombia with all sorts of attractions and entertainment. Among those were four hippos that he kept on the estate

from Wikipedia.org
Vanessa, one of the original four animals on the estate grounds

After Escobar was killed in 1993, the government seized all they could from the estate. However, it was decided the hippos were considered to difficult to seize and were left to roam the property. Soon they began to multiply and escaped the fenced property setting up camp in the Magdalena river. It is now estimated that there are around 200 and they are quickly spreading.

The hippos are considered an invasive species and there are worries it will damage the habitat for native animals. Not to mention they are very aggressive and have attacked some fisherman. The government is trying to relocate about 70 of the animals to India, and trying to control their numbers through sterilizing males. They managed to capture and castrate one male, however, it cost $50,000 to do so.

They are a tourist attraction now, and people head to Medellín to see the hippos. The trip is easier than Africa for many in the Americas! How long will the government allow them to stay? Who knows? So if you want to see them, you may have to do it soon. That is the story of the cocaine hippos, they all came from one very rich cocaine dealing drug lord...

That will wrap up my post for this Monday, I hope you enjoyed it! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below. Thank you for all of your support, it is deeply appreciated! Have a great week everyone!

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamuses_in_Colombia

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces5095.html

Disclaimer

I am not a financial planner and this isn't financial advice. Please always do your own research before investing your money. You worked hard enough to earn it!

All photos are my own except where indicated.

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