16 Hippos up for Adoption

For those of you that want to start 2007 off right - think about adopting a hippo.

The Kansas City Star newspaper is reporting that a former Columbia drug lord has 12 available for adoption…

“They are too big and wild,” said Sanchez, who said Escobar bought the original four hippos from a dealer in New Orleans for $3,000 each.

Among themselves, hippopotamuses, whose name means “river horse,” are gregarious animals. They live up to 50 years, and the males grow to a hefty size, sometimes 12 feet long and 5 feet high.

They spend most of their lives submerged in water to prevent sunburn. As hulking as they are, hippos can outrun humans on land.

That speed — and their highly aggressive disposition whenever their turf is invaded — makes them a safety threat. That is the main reason authorities are offering the animals, or at least most of them, free to anyone who will come and take them off their hands.

Here’s the entire article.

Have a heart! Why not take two?

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