Drug Lord’s Zoo--a Feeding Problem
Government officials are wondering how to feed and dispose of hundreds of exotic animals--among them giraffes, zebras and elephants--found on a sprawling estate belonging to accused Medellin drug chieftain Pablo Escobar.
It is costing thousands of dollars to feed them, and the government has been in contact with Colombian and foreign zoos to be ready offer the animals if no funds can be found to care for them properly, a senior government official said Thursday.
The estate, valued at $63 million for land alone, was seized over the weekend by army troops as part of a crackdown on drug traffickers.
Escobar, 39, was not captured in the raid.
Soldiers found more than 300 mammals and hundreds of birds at the zoo, according to Jose Vicente Rodriguez, director of fauna at the Institute of Renewable Natural Resources and the Environment.
Television footage showed llamas, rhinoceroses and flamingos, among other creatures.
The zoo attracted 60,000 visitors in 1983, when it was open to the public, according to “Kings of Cocaine,” a book on the Medellin cartel.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
