Colombia approves plan to cull hippos descended from Pablo Escobar’s private zoo

Environment Minister Irene Velez Torres said authorities must act to control the population, which has expanded rapidly in the absence of natural predators. The animals, now estimated at around 200 in the Magdalena River basin, could reach 1,000 by 2035 without intervention.

“We have to take this action to preserve our ecosystems,” Velez announced on Monday, adding that previous methods to control their population had been expensive and unsuccessful, including neutering some of the animals or moving them to other habitats abroad.

Originally brought to the country in the 1980s by drug lord Pablo Escobar for his private zoo, the hippos have since multiplied and spread beyond their original habitat. Colombia remains the only country outside Africa with a wild population of the species.

Officials say the animals pose a threat to villagers and agriculture, while also posing a threat to native species such as manatees and altering water quality due to their size and waste. The government’s program, with a budget of 7.2 billion pesos, will combine culling with relocation and confinement measures.

As Qazinform News Agency reported earlier, striped hyena was added to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.