02/05/2026
In the 1980s Pablo Escobar illegally imported four hippos from Dallas Texas for his private zoo at Hacienda Nápoles. Three females, one male. Symbols of his power.
When Colombian police shot Pablo in 1993 the government moved in and seized the estate. Most animals were relocated to zoos. The hippos were a different problem. Three tonnes each, territorial and aggressive. Nobody could safely capture them. They were left behind.
With no natural predators and a warm swampy environment almost identical to their native African habitat the hippos began breeding. By 2007 there were 16. By 2014 there were 40. By 2026 there are nearly 200 roaming freely across the Magdalena River basin. Without intervention experts warn the population could hit 1,000 by 2035. Guinness World Records recognized them as the largest invasive species on the planet in 2024.
Their waste depletes oxygen in waterways, killing fish and displacing manatees, river turtles and caimans. Adult males have charged fishing boats on the river. One fisherman described the moment a hippo lunged at his boat and swung its jaws wide open.
On April 13, 2026 Colombia approved a plan to cull up to 80 hippos. The backlash was immediate. Animal rights activists called it a massacre. Local residents whose entire tourism economy is built around hippo watching tours threatened to take to the streets.
Then last week Anant Ambani, son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, formally offered to take all 80 hippos to his 3,500 acre wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat India and cover all costs. Colombia filed a formal request to the Indian government on April 30 asking whether they would authorize the transfer. India has not yet responded.
Escobar has been dead for 33 years. His hippos are still making international news.
