Colombia moves to cull invasive hippos tied to Pablo Escobar

Colombia on Monday authorized a plan to euthanize dozens of hippos freely roaming a region in the center of the country as the large mammals threaten villagers and displace native species years after infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar brought in the first ones.

Environment Minister Irene Velez said that other methods previously employed to control the population of the "cocaine hippos," such as neutering some of the animals or placing them in zoos, proved to be costly and unsuccessful.

Velez noted that up to 80 hippos would be euthanized, without elaborating on when it would begin, according to CBS News.

"If we don't do this, we will not be able to control the population," Velez said. "We have to take this action to preserve our ecosystems."

Colombia is the only country outside Africa with a wild hippo population.

The animals are descendants of four individuals brought to the country in the 1980s by Escobar, who kept them in a private zoo at Hacienda Napoles.

Research from National University of Colombia estimated that about 170 hippos were living freely in the wild as of 2022.

The government has classified them as an invasive species, and experts warn that sterilization alone will not be enough to curb their population growth.

As a result, officials have explored relocating some hippos to sanctuaries abroad. However, such efforts are costly, with relocation estimated at around $3.5 million.