Animal Planet reveals Escobar’s hippo obsession

June 28, 2011 by Kelly Anderson

Drug-Kingpin-Hippo

Drug Kingpin Hippos promises to reveal another side of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar by putting the spotlight on his compound of 700 animals, including hippos.

Animal Planet will air the one-hour special on July 19 at 10 p.m. EST, exploring both Escobar’s decades-long drug reign in Colombia and the threat his hippos continue to have on the country today.

In rare archival footage and exclusive interviews, including a one-on-one with Roberto Escobar, Pablo’s eldest brother, viewers are promised the complete story of Escobar’s rise to prominence and his ultimate fall as the “World’s Greatest Outlaw.”

The special also spotlights a team of Colombian veterinarians who are racing to locate an adult male hippo that has escaped Escobar’s zoo, posing a danger to nearby locals.

The childhood dream of the cocaine trafficker to own hippos began with a modest three hippos. Now, 18 years after Escobar’s death, some 30 hippos over-populate Colombia.

Drug Kingpin Hippos is produced for Animal Planet by Explora Films, with Mauricio Velez onboard as the executive producer for Explora Films and Erin Wanner as Animal Planet’s exec producer.

Tags: Animal Planet, Drug Kingpin Hippos, Explore Films, Pablo Escobar