Bogotá, November 30 (teleSUR-RHC)-- Two hippopotamuses in Colombia’s Antioquia province have sought refuge in a local town after drought hit the region.

The animals are descendants of the hippos brought to the country by the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar, who owned a private zoo on the outskirts of Puerto Triunfo, a town near Medellin.

The pair have been seen grazing in fields and even wandering through the town seeking food and shelter, according to local reports. 

Children have been told to stay clear of the animals while biologists wait for specialists dart guns to sedate the hippos and move them away from the town.

Escobar, who was killed in 1993, kept a number of exotic animals at the Escobar ranch, also known as Hacienda Napoles, such as giraffes, antelope and ostriches.

Due to the cost and difficulty involved in rounding up the hippos they have been left to thrive in the local waters.

Colombian journalist Hernando Alvarez said locals are not content with their presence in the area.

“The locals just want them out because they know they’re very dangerous. I think that nobody wants to mess with the hippos, but so far it’s pretty much like a big question mark about what to do with them,” he said.  

After Escobar's death most of the smuggled animals were relocated to zoos, however the hippos remained in local lakes and are now approximately 60 in number.  There were initially three female and one male hippo in the zoo but Antioquia province’s tropical climate has allowed the animals to flourish.

However Colombia is experiencing its worst drought and forest fires in recent years with numerous areas across the country affected due to the El Niño effect, according to meteorologists. Rainfall has been extremely low, causing the rivers to dry up with the Magdalena river at its lowest level on record.