Colombian government decides fate of Pablo Escobar's cocaine hippos

Colombia’s government has decided the fate of Pablo Escobar’s famed hippos, suggesting a drastic change of scenery for the animals.

In the 1980s, drug lord Escobar built the biggest cocaine empire on the planet, all the while building his own personal zoo on the side.

The former head of the Medellin Cartel – who was, of course, no stranger to illegal imports – had four hippos shipped in for his menagerie, which was also home to kangaroos, giraffes and elephants.

After he was killed by police in 1993, the Colombian government seized control of his estate and rounded up most of the animals, but the hippos were abandoned due to the cost and logistical issues associated with transporting them.

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Since then, the so-called 'cocaine hippo' population has grown to around 130, with scientists warning this number could grow to almost 1,500 by 2040 – meaning that, yes, Escobar is still very much causing authorities headaches from beyond the grave.

However, the government has now hatched a plan for the hippos, proposing to transfer them to other countries to try and control the population.

With environmental authorities estimating there are 130 hippos in the area in Antioquia province, government officials are suggesting they move at least 70 of them to India and Mexico.

The plan has been in the works for more than a year, according to Lina Marcela de los Ríos Morales, the director of animal protection and welfare at Antioquia's environment ministry.

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David Echeverri López, a spokesperson for local environmental authority Cornare, which would be in charge of the relocations, added: "It is possible to do, we already have experience relocating hippos in zoos nationwide.”

The hippos are descendants of the four Escobar imported from Africa illegally, and have spread from the Hacienda Napoles ranch since it was abandoned.

Scientists have previously warned they do not have a natural predator in Colombia, and that they are a potential issue for the country’s biodiversity as their faeces change the composition of the rivers – meaning the habitats of animals like manatees and capybaras could be compromised.

Last year, the government even declared them a toxic invasive species.

The plan for the relocation is to focus on the hippos that live in in the rivers surrounding the ranch, rather than those that reside inside, with De los Ríos Morales saying the move would not only help control the hippo population, but was also more humane than exterminating.