Latest news with #ForrestGalante
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
Hundreds of ‘Cocaine Hippos' Are Terrorizing Colombia. This Biologist Has Agreed to Help Track Them Down
Forrest Galante has bad luck with hippos. He was nearly killed twice by the animals while growing up as a kid in Zimbabwe. So it's fair to say Galante was treading cautiously this winter as he explored a dense jungle island in the middle of Colombia's Rio Magdalena, which is now home to a prolific and very problematic herd of hippopotamuses. Known the world over as 'cocaine hippos,' these invasive giants are the descendants of Pablo Escobar's pet hippo herd, which has grown from four to around 200 and spread well beyond Escobar's estate in the time since the kingpin's death in 1993. With no natural predators around and a massive river — the Magdalena — at their disposal, the amphibious mammals continue to thrive and expand in Colombia. (To be clear, these hippos are not addicted to cocaine. They're called 'cocaine hippos' because they were introduced there by the most famous cocaine dealer of all time.) As an explorer, wildlife biologist, TV host, and conservationist, Galante has worked with dangerous animals all around the world. Over the past few years, he's been coordinating with a Colombian government agency, Cornare, to try and solve the country's cocaine hippo problem. He just returned from a months-long trip to Colombia, where he helped refine the government's ongoing efforts to capture and sterilize the invasive critters. This is an urgent ecological problem, as the hippos are harming native species, wrecking waterways, and causing conflicts with people. Although there are no published news reports available on the internet of hippos attacking humans in Colombia, it has certainly happened. Galante says he's spoken with two people there who were attacked by hippos. One of them, a farmer, was getting water from the river when a hippo charged and trampled him, breaking his back and leaving him paralyzed. Scenarios like this one have played out countless times across sub-Saharan Africa, where hippos are considered the most dangerous large animal on the continent, killing roughly 500 people a year. Hippos also degrade habitat by polluting and destroying waterways, and their presence in rivers and lakes threatens a number of native critters, including the critically endangered Magdalena turtle. And just like Florida's Burmese pythons, there are more of them every year. Read Next: Scientists Photograph Giant Python Swallowing a Full-Sized Whitetail Whole in First-of-Its-Kind Discovery 'In the wild, hippo infant mortality rates are fifty to fifty nine percent … but according to one study, that goes down to fifteen percent in the second year, and four percent each year after,' Galante tells Outdoor Life. 'So, if you compare that with a hundred percent survival rate, which is what we're seeing in Colombia, this might sound melodramatic. But hippos will literally take over the country at some point. There is nothing to stop them.' The most obvious solution, tracking and killing all the hippos, has proven controversial because locals have grown to love the big, 'cute' animals they associate with Disney movies, Galante explains. The government-approved hunt for Pepe, one of Escobar's original males, in 2009 was a PR nightmare. And although Galante says there are unconfirmed rumors that black-market hippo hunts are still taking place, the Colombian public will never support the regulated hunting or culling of the now world-famous hippos. So, in 2023, the Colombian government announced it was starting a highly ambitious (and costly) program to capture and sterilize Escobar's hippos and their descendants. By late November, officials had caught and sterilized four of them — two adult females and two juvenile males — and set a goal for 40 sterilizations per month. As it turns out, though, castrating a full-grown hippopotamus is easier said than done. 'Like any large mammal, hippos learn pretty quickly and they'll move to a new area,' Galante says of the various challenges Colombian wildlife managers now face. 'These hippos are also spread out over [roughly] 500 square kilometers, and each water body has its own hippos, so you have to build new bomas [traps] in each location … and it gets expensive. This is a huge, multi-layered project.' Another part of the government's plan is to eventually relocate some of the hippos to a wildlife sanctuary in India — something Galante is helping coordinate as well. (Galante has also been filming part of the project for an upcoming television series on Discovery.) When he asked local experts where the majority of the problem hippos were, they ushered him to a densely vegetated island in the middle of the Rio Magdalena. 'We took a boat and went out there, and this was maybe the most dangerous situation I've ever been in with wildlife,' Galante says. 'We were walking in this bush where you have less than 15 feet of visibility, it's this tropical Amazonian jungle. So we came up along this game trail and, of course, we startled a hippo and it charged us.' The hippo turned away at the last second, Galante says, and they had no further run-ins that day. But the one charge was enough to convince Galante that trapping the island's hippos would require significantly more funding and manpower than they had at their disposal. The next best step, they figured, would be to focus on the lakes surrounding Hacienda Nápoles. (Escobar's estate, where his exotic zoo was located, is now a theme park.) After locating a few pods of hippos in the lakes, Galante and the Cornare team brought in a retrofitted corral that they baited with sugary foods like carrots, watermelons, and beets. He says it took about a week to catch the first baby hippos, which they sterilized with injections of GonaCon. Three weeks later, after keeping the corral-trap baited, they caught the mother hippo. 'When we caught that adult mother in our boma trap, she was with those same two babies, plus two other babies — one that was about a year old and one that was about two,' he explains. 'So that's four generations all in one boma.' After treating the younger hippos with GonaCon, a veterinarian surgically sterilized the adult female. Unlike the male castrations, which are quick and straightforward — 'You just chop their nuts off and let them go,' Galante says — sterilizing females is much more complicated. 'He operated on her all night, and he uses this incredible methodology that I've never seen before. Instead of opening all their guts up, he makes these tiny incisions and does it all by feel … It's incredible, and he needs to publish this methodology,' Galante explains. 'He pulled out her ovaries, cauterized them, sewed her up, and let her go. Now, because it's Colombia and it's a billion degrees out, he had to start doing this at 10 p.m. and finish before the sun came up so she didn't die of heat exhaustion.' Read Next: Beasts of Burden: Wild Horses and Burros Are Dying Hard Deaths in the West Now that officials have seen some success, Galante says, the Colombian government will continue sterilizing as many hippos as they can safely catch. He says he doesn't know the exact number of hippos that have been sterilized so far. But he knows he won't be returning to that mid-river island anytime soon without reinforcements. 'There's no way you can deal with those hippos without bringing in a massive construction crew and clearcutting a large area. And then you'd need generators, and tractors, and flatbed boats, which could cost millions' Galante says. 'We have not solved this problem, to be clear. What we did over the last few months is create a blueprint to solve the problem.'
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers have rediscovered an elusive fish species thought to be extinct for 85 years
Researchers have rediscovered a rare fish species presumed to be extinct after it was not seen for more than eight decades. The last sighting of the Chel snakehead, or Channa amphibeus, was last recorded from specimens collected between 1918 and 1933 in the Himalayan region of India, leading scientists to believe the species had died out, according to a paper published recently in the journal Zootaxa. MORE: Giant tubeworms part of thriving ecosystem found under the seafloor in the Pacific But three specimens collected in 2024 -- as well as photographic evidence -- have confirmed that the species persisted over the last century despite remaining undetected. The specimens were located on the banks of the Chel River in the town of Kalimpong in West Bengal after researchers caught wind that it was being consumed by a local tribe, the paper states. There were repeated searches for the Chel snakehead in the last several decades, wildlife biologist Forrest Galante wrote on Instagram. It took months for the researchers to locate the fish, but they were able to positively confirm its existence. MORE: 'Starry night' toad rediscovered in Colombia after nearly 3 decades The Chel snakehead specimens were located in the Chel River system, the ecosystem in which it is endemic, according to the paper. The freshwater species -- considered the most elusive of the snakeheads -- is known for its bright green scales and yellow stripes. It is also the largest amount of snakeheads, according to the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation, the Mumbai-based wildlife conservation involved in the rediscovery. "The resolution of this long-standing mystery in Indian ichthyology reinforces the importance of continued exploration and highlights the persistence of biodiversity, even in species once thought lost to time," said Tejas Thackeray, founder of the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation, in a Facebook post. Researchers have rediscovered an elusive fish species thought to be extinct for 85 years originally appeared on
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Southeastern Wildlife Expo kicks off with three days of art, food, and wildlife demos
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, a three-day festival that brings together wildlife experts, artists, and exhibitors, begins Friday in downtown Charleston. Over 500 vendors will be displayed at five locations including Marion Square, Charleston Place, the Gaillard Center, Charleston Marriott, and Brittlebank Park through Sunday afternoon. The annual event, known as SEWE, began in February 1983 with about 100 artists and exhibitors, and 5,000 attendees. It has since grown into one of Charleston's most anticipated festivals – unofficially referred to as the kickoff to tourism season – bringing in roughly 500 exhibitors, artists, and wildlife experts and 40,000 attendees each year, generating an estimated $50 million in economic impact. The purpose of the festival is to promote wildlife and nature conservation and 'make positive contributions, through entertainment, to the genre of wildlife art, conservation, education, and the local, regional and state economies.' There is a lot to do at SEWE with fun for the entire family. Top events include the popular Dock Dog competitions, sheep and duck herding, fly fishing demonstrations at Brittlebank Park, enjoy chef demos and a bite to eat at Marion Square or browse the art gallery at Charleston Place. Renowned wildlife explorer and conservationist Forrest Galante will present live animal shots at the Gaillard Center with seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Blade and Bow to showcase Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey during 2025 SEWE Handcrafted goods by artisans and craftsmen from around the country are put on display during the annual event, along with wildlife and nature paintings, carvings, and sculptures. Stop by the Charleston Marriott for the sporting showroom featuring sporting and adventure guides, outdoor outfitters, taxidermy, sporting gear, and clothing. In the 'Kids Zone' at Brittlebank Park, attendees will find pony and camel rides, an exotic petting zoo, inflatables, educational programs, and other activities. A small kids section will be available at Marion Square, too. For more information about SEWE and to view the schedule, please click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
