Colombia to cull hippo population founded by drug lord | Wildlife News

Introduced by Pablo Escobar in the 1990s, the hippos are a tourist attraction but a headache for authorities and locals.

Colombia has approved plans to cull dozens of hippos roaming across a region in the centre of the country.

Environment Minister Irene Velez announced the decision on Monday, with up to 80 of the invasive species to be euthanised after previous attempts to control the population proved too expensive or ineffective.

“We have to take this action to preserve our ecosystems,” Velez said, without pinpointing when the cull would begin.

Colombia is the only country outside Africa to host the semiaquatic mammal. Hippopotamuses were introduced to the South American country by infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar, who brought in four in the 1980s to display in his private zoo.

Their number swelled after Escobar died the following decade. A 2022 study estimated that around 170 now roam freely. They have been spotted up to 60 miles from Escobar’s sprawling former ranch, Hacienda Napoles in the Magdalena River basin.

One study suggested that the hippos breed particularly quickly due to Colombia’s lush environment.

Authorities previously tried sterilisation and capturing and sending the animals to zoos as they sought to slow their population growth, but neither approach worked.

They say the hippos, which can weigh over four tonnes, pose a threat to villagers who encounter them and that they compete for food against endemic wildlife like manatees.

Despite the local concerns, the animals have become a tourist attraction. They are a major attraction at the Napoles ranch, which is now a tourist destination. Local vendors offer hippo-themed souvenirs and hippo-spotting tours.

Animal welfare activists have long opposed suggestions of culling the hippos, insisting it would pose a poor example in a country that experienced decades of conflict.

When an aggressive male hippo was killed in 2009, a photo of soldiers posing with the animal’s body sparked outrage and halted efforts to rein in the hippos.

The animals cannot be returned to their natural habitat because, stemming from just four hippos, their limited gene pool means they could carry diseases.