Irish Examiner view: Hippo-critical TV

Drug kingpin Pablo Escobar imported some hippos into Colombia back in the 80s for his own personal menagerie, but now their descendants, some 150 in total, are causing problems. Picture: Kevin Clancy/Fennells

At first glance it looks like a pitch for Netflix — a drug baron’s pet hippopotamuses escape and roam the countryside, but their offspring eventually proliferate and cause serious problems for locals. Knockabout comedy. High farce.

Yet this is the reality in Colombia. Drug kingpin Pablo Escobar imported some hippos into the country back in the 80s for his own personal menagerie, but now their descendants, some 150 in total, are causing problems in the Magdalena Medio area of the country.