Wild Hippos Spark Fear and Billionaire Aid for Cocaine Hippos

An Indian billionaire has proposed to relocate dozens of invasive hippopotamuses from Colombia to a private wildlife reserve in India, offering an alternative to the Colombian government’s plan to cull the animals.

Anant Ambani, the son of Mukesh Ambani, has offered to receive and provide lifelong care for up to 80 hippos at the Vantara conservation center in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The proposal comes as Colombian authorities seek to manage a growing population of hippos that have become a threat to the local environment and human safety.

The animals, often referred to as “cocaine hippos,” are descendants of four hippopotamuses—three females and one male—illegally imported to Colombia in the 1980s by the drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Escobar kept the animals at his private estate, Hacienda Nápoles, located near Puerto Triunfo, approximately 250 kilometers northwest of Bogotá. The estate also housed other exotic species, including zebras, giraffes, and elephants.

Following the death of Escobar in 1993 and the subsequent government seizure of his properties, the hippos were not captured and were allowed to roam free. They multiplied along the basin of the Magdalena, Colombia’s main river, particularly within the swampy and fertile Antioquia region. The absence of natural predators allowed the population to explode to approximately 160 individuals.

Colombian environmentalists and scientists have identified the herd as an invasive species. They argue that the animals have pushed away native fauna and disrupted the local ecosystem. In the town of Doradal, the hippos have become a local attraction, with residents and tourists gathering at a lake on the edge of town to watch them. However, the animals are also viewed as a danger to the community.

To control the population, Colombia has previously attempted various methods, including castration, but these efforts failed to stop the herd’s growth. The government announced a plan to cull 80 of the animals.

The proposal from Anant Ambani seeks to prevent this cull. In a social media post, Ambani argued that the animals are not responsible for their current predicament.

“These 80 hippos did not choose where to be born, nor did they create the circumstances they now face,” Ambani stated. He added that the animals “are living, sentient beings, and if we have the capacity to save them through a safe and humane solution, we have the responsibility to try.”

The CEO of the Vantara zoo sent a formal letter to Colombia’s environment minister, expressing readiness to provide the animals with lifelong care. According to a letter published on the zoo’s Instagram account, the proposal is rooted in the belief “that every life matters and that we have a shared responsibility to protect life wherever possible.”

Vantara, located in the state of Gujarat, is a large-scale conservation center. According to its official website, the facility houses more than 150,000 animals representing over 2,000 wildlife species.

While the rescue offer has sparked a debate over the ethics of culling, some experts suggest that the decision should be based on ecological data rather than emotion. Sergio Estrada-Villegas, a biology professor at Rosario University in Bogotá, emphasized the importance of a technical approach to the crisis.

“I think we should address this technically,” Estrada-Villegas said. “Maybe setting aside our feelings and thinking about the whole ecosystem.”

As of May 8, 2026, the Colombian government has not officially commented on the offer from Anant Ambani to relocate the herd to India.