Colombia Takes Action to Manage Escobar's Feral Hippos

The Colombian government has announced a three-pronged strategy to address the invasive spread of wild hippos once owned by drug lord Pablo Escobar. The plan includes sterilization, transfer to other countries, and euthanasia. Sterilization will begin next week, with 20 hippos to be sterilized in 2023 and 40 per year from 2024 onward. The government estimates that sterilizing each animal will cost around 40 million pesos. Colombia currently has an estimated 169 hippos, descendants of those brought in by Escobar, and experts warn that without intervention, the population could reach 1,000 by 2035, posing risks to biodiversity and local residents.