Colombia Plans Euthanasia for 80 Invasive Hippos in 2026

Colombian officials announced on Monday a plan to manage the country's invasive hippopotamus population, including the euthanasia of up to 80 animals starting in the second half of 2026. The initiative, outlined by Environment Minister Irene Vélez, targets the roughly 200 hippos roaming the central region near the Magdalena River, where their unchecked growth poses risks to local ecosystems and communities.

Vélez emphasized the urgency of the measures during a news briefing, stating, "We must act to reduce the hippopotamus population. These actions are essential to protect our ecosystems and our native species." Without intervention, she warned, the population could swell to 1,000 by 2035, exacerbating threats to wildlife such as river turtles and manatees, as well as contributing to water pollution from the animals' waste.

The hippos trace their origins to four individuals illegally imported in the 1980s by the late drug lord Pablo Escobar for a private zoo at his Hacienda Nápoles ranch in the Magdalena River valley. After Escobar's death and the government's seizure of the property, the animals escaped and multiplied, largely without containment. A 2022 study by Colombia's...