Colombian authorities have authorized a program to cull up to 80 free-roaming hippopotamuses that descended from animals illegally imported by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s. The decision, announced Monday, is intended to reduce a growing population officials say poses risks to people and local ecosystems.
Environment Minister Irene Velez Torres said the hippos have increasingly been found on farms and in rivers in the central Magdalena River basin, creating safety hazards for villagers. Officials also warn the nonnative mammals compete with native species such as river manatees, damage habitat and disrupt fragile ecological balance.
With no natural predators in the region, the herd has expanded rapidly. The Environment Ministry estimates roughly 200 hippos now roam the basin and projects their numbers could reach about 1,000 by 2035 if no effective action is taken.
The program has a budget of 7.2 billion pesos (about €1.68 million). Proposed measures include confinement and relocation of some animals, as well as lethal control, with operations scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026.
Animal welfare groups and some politicians have condemned the plan. Senator and animal rights advocate Andrea Padilla called the cull cruel, arguing the hippos are healthy creatures made victims by past government neglect and that killing them would be unacceptable.
Velez defended the policy, saying prior efforts to contain the population were costly and failed to produce meaningful results. Attempts in 2022 and 2023 to relocate and sterilize members of the herd did not significantly curb growth, she said. Colombia also sought to transfer some hippos to zoos or sanctuaries abroad and discussed options with eight countries, including India and Mexico, but no receiving facilities were authorized.
Officials add that many of the animals show genetic problems from inbreeding, making international transfers difficult and returning them to Africa unfeasible.
The hippos trace back to four animals Escobar kept at his private zoo on Hacienda Nápoles, his sprawling ranch in the Magdalena valley. After his 1993 death, the property was converted into a theme park and zoo, and the hippos’ descendants became a notable attraction. The government now faces the challenge of managing that legacy while balancing public safety, ecological concerns and animal welfare objections.