Colombian officials have authorised a plan to cull dozens of hippos descended from animals brought to the country in the 1980s by drug lord Pablo Escobar, after the feral beasts displaced native species and threatened local villagers.
Environment Minister Irene Vélez said the decision was reached because other methods to control their population had been expensive and unsuccessful, including neutering some of the animals or moving them to zoos. Vélez stated that up to 80 hippos would be affected by the measure, but did not say when the hunting would begin.
Colombia is the only country outside Africa with a wild hippo population, which descends entirely from four individuals imported by Escobar for his private zoo at Hacienda Nápoles. A 2022 study estimated about 170 hippos were roaming freely in the country, with some spotted more than 100km north of the ranch.
Environmental authorities say the large mammals pose a threat to villagers and compete for food and space with local species such as river manatees. Despite this, the hippos have become a tourist attraction, with locals offering hippo-spotting tours and selling souvenirs.
Animal welfare activists have long opposed killing the hippos. Senator Andrea Padilla, an animal rights activist, described the plan as 'cruel' and accused officials of taking the easy way out, writing on X that 'killings and massacres will never be acceptable'.
