Colombia to cull Pablo Escobar's 'cocaine hippos' as officials warn of threat to people and wildlife

Officials are looking to control the population of the feral beasts after they displaced native species and threatened local villagers.

Environment Minister Irene Vélez said it had looked into others methods, such as neutering some of the animals or moving them to zoos, but these options had turned out to be expensive and unsuccessful.

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Up to 80 hippos will be affected by the cull, which is yet to be given a start date by Ms Velez.

“If we don’t do this we will not be able to control the population,” Vélez said. “We have to take this action to preserve our ecosystems," the minister said.

Colombia's wild hippo population descends entirely from four of the semi-aquatic mammals imported to Escobar's estate - Hacienda Nápoles.

The drug lord intended to fill a private zoo he had built on his ranch in the Magdalena River valley.

Colombia is the only country outside Africa with a wild hippo population, with about 170 hippos estimated to be roaming freely in the country as of 2022.

Hippos have recently been spotted in areas that are more than 100km (60 miles) north of the ranch, where Escobar initially introduced the beasts.

The large mammals have reportedly threatened villagers on farms and near rivers, while also competing for food and space with local species such as river manatees.

Despite these issues, the hippos are a huge tourist attraction, with numerous hippo-spotting tours and hippo-themed souvenirs available in the surrounding villages.

Escobar's ranch was seized by the Colombian government and now functions as a theme park, which features swimming pools, water slides, and a zoo containing the hippos.

The decision to cull the African mammals has upset animal welfare activists in Colombia, who argue the animals deserve to live.

Andrea Padilla, a senator and animal rights activist, described the plan as a "cruel" decision and accused government officials of trying to take the easy way out.

“Killings and massacres will never be acceptable,” Padilla wrote on X. “These are healthy creatures who are victims of the negligence of government entities."

Because Colombia’s hippos come from a limited gene pool, and could carry diseases, taking them back to their natural habitat in Africa is also unfeasible.