In 1884, the water hyacinth — a free-floating tropical plant — delighted audiences when it made its North American debut at the Cotton States Exposition in New Orleans. Within 20 years, it had taken over waterways across the South, threatening long-established trade routes. As Southerners waged a never-ending botanical battle, a second crisis brewed in the United States: inexpensive meat was suddenly in short supply. Meatpackers blamed grain prices and cattle shortages, while butchers blamed the meatpackers. Rep. Robert Broussard argued that the only way to solve both problems was to embrace hippopotamus ranching. On March 24, 1910, Broussard stood before the House Committee on Agriculture to lay out the details of his “American Hippo Bill.” He believed importing hungry hippos from Africa would rid Louisiana and Florida of the hyacinths that were smothering their waterways, while also providing a low-cost meat supply. Despite the excitement generated by the American Hippo Bill, the committee remained unconvinced, and members shelved the legislation. More than a century later, water hyacinths still menace Southern waters.
