GEO Reports

Infamous drug baron Pablo Escobar had four hippos flown over from Africa to populate his very own zoo on his private estate in Columbia. After his death in 1993, the hippos escaped and have been colonising local waterways ever since. Conservationists are now waging a war against this invasive species which is harmful to the local ecosystem and highly dangerous to humans.

When Massimo Vacchetta discovered little Ninna, he immediately adopted her and saved her from certain death. The veterinarian, whose specialty was caring for cattle, had found his vocation: he opened a hedgehog refuge, now a local institution partly run by volunteers.

A precious material is produced in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh: attar, a fragrant essential oil. In the perfume capital of India, Kannauj, rose and jasmine petals are distilled together with sandalwood oil to create fragrant essences, in a centuries-old tradition.

In Nepal, in the Thrangu Tara monastery near Kathmandu, nuns have the privilege of creating sand mandalas, intricate geometric configurations of symbols, painstakingly assembled from grains of sand. These astonishingly beautiful creations are destroyed to remind Buddhists of the transitory nature of all things.

The danzón is a Mexican dance that has its origins in the French contredanse. After crossing the Atlantic, it passed through Cuba before arriving in Mexico at the beginning of the 20th century. This tradition is still very much alive in Mexico City, particularly among the older generation, for whom the danzón is a celebration of life, love and community spirit.

The katana, the legendary samurai sword, embodies Japanese culture, spirituality, and discipline. In Yamagata, in the north of the country, a master swordsmith uses a traditional method to craft a custom-made sword over several weeks: a work steeped in symbolism that combines strength and honour.