Colombia approves plan to cull dozens of wild hippos

Pablo Escobar's 'cocaine hippos' set to be euthanized in Colombia

Colombia's government has made the difficult and divisive decision to euthanize some of Pablo Escobar's infamous "cocaine hippos" after years of failed attempts to relocate and sterilize them.  After drug lord Pablo Escobar's death in 1993, four hippos that he had illegally introduced to his estate in the Antioquia region of Colombia escaped into the wild, according to Scientific American.  Unchecked by natural predators, those four quickly repr…

Colombia to control hippo population

The South American country of Colombia plans to launch a plan in the second half of 2026 to control its invasive hippopotamus population, including euthanizing an initial 80 animals, Environment Minister Irene Velez said.

Colombia announces plan to cull Pablo Escobar’s feral hippos

The Colombian government has authorized a plan to euthanize dozens of hippos descended from animals smuggled into the country by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in the 1980s. There are an estimated 200 hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius) scattered throughout Colombia, according to a 2022 census, which could exceed 1,000 by 2035. The animals are not native to […]

‘Cocaine hippos’ linked to drug lord Pablo Escobar will be euthanized

Colombian authorities have announced a plan to euthanize around 80 wild and invasive so-called “cocaine hippos,” years after notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar illegally introduced them.

Colombia moves to kill Pablo Escobar’s ‘cocaine hippos’ amid ecological threat

Colombia will euthanize dozens of invasive hippos descended from animals once owned by drug lord Pablo Escobar, in a controversial move underscoring the growing environmental and public safety risks posed by the species decades after their introduction to the South American country. Read more...