Colombia hippos – Colombia debates culling its escaped hippos while an Indian billionaire proposes relocating 80 to a wildlife reserve in Gujarat.
A strange evening ritual is taking shape in Doradal, Colombia: residents and visitors gather by a local lake, sip beers, and watch hippos float in the water—while officials and scientists argue over whether the herd should be reduced or moved.
For years. the town’s daily view of the semi-aquatic giants has been treated as a novelty and. for some. a source of livelihood.. “This is one of the main attractions in town. ” said Lina Morales. a worker at a local hotel. describing how the animals have become part of the community’s routine.. Statues of hippos are even displayed around Doradal. and locals have built small business around the fascination. from guiding visitors on “hippo safaris” to selling souvenirs such as keyrings and T-shirts.
Behind the spectacle. scientists say the hippos pose a growing challenge to the surrounding ecosystem. and they argue the debate can’t be settled by sentiment alone.. Biology professor Sergio Estrada-Villegas. who studies such questions at Rosario University in Bogotá. urged a technical approach. arguing that people should “address this” by considering the broader ecosystem.
The unusual herd traces back to four hippos brought illegally to Colombia in the 1980s by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. who operated a private zoo on a ranch near Doradal.. After the Colombian government seized Escobar’s properties in 1993, no one captured the animals, and the hippos continued to breed.. With no natural predators to limit their numbers, their population expanded over time.
Today, scientists estimate there are roughly 200 hippos roaming freely around Doradal.. The town sits amid lush forests and large rivers. creating a landscape where the animals’ presence can ripple well beyond where they are seen.. That concern is central to a proposal from Colombia’s government to cull the animals. a move that has now also triggered a competing plan.
Biologist Nataly Castelblanco-Martinez argues that hippos are not just wildlife curiosities but major environmental actors.. She points to the waste they deposit in lakes and riverbeds and says it can alter water conditions. including changes in acidity and reductions in oxygen.. In her account, that shift can harm underwater plant life, which then weakens the broader food web.
Castelblanco-Martinez described the hippos as having a “transversal impact” on the ecosystem. meaning the effects can spread through multiple levels of the local environment rather than remaining contained to a single location.. The argument is that the herd’s expansion increases pressure on water quality and the living systems dependent on it.
Colombia has tried to curb the population through sterilization efforts before, including surgeries and contraceptive injections.. But Castelblanco-Martinez said large-scale sterilization is difficult because the procedures are costly and carry risks.. She contends that culling. while contentious. is the most effective solution—drawing comparisons to pest-control or wildlife-management efforts using other species. such as lionfish.
Residents’ views diverge sharply from the scientific case for population reduction.. Business owner Tania Galindo said the animals are “part of our community now. ” emphasizing that Doradal is the only place outside Africa with wild hippos.. She argues the population should be controlled. but in a “peaceful manner” that respects both the animals and the local attachment to them.
Now, that local debate is being complicated by an international offer.. Indian billionaire Anant Ambani has proposed relocating up to 80 hippos from Colombia to his Vantara wildlife reserve in Gujarat, India.. Estrada-Villegas called it a “major undertaking” and said he remains skeptical. raising practical and welfare concerns about capturing. transporting. and housing animals over long distances.
He said the logistics would be extremely complex.. Hippos would need to be lured and caught in Doradal. then moved by large trucks and lorries to an airport near Medellín—about 150 kilometers away—before being flown to India.. He questioned what would be required to keep the animals safe and calm during the journey. particularly given the length of travel and the need for at least one stopover.
There is also the question of what the hippos would actually need once they arrive.. German Jimenez. a biologist at Javeriana University who has published research on the animals. said each hippo in the wild requires roughly six square kilometers of habitat to sustain itself.. On his account. relocating hippos into Vantara’s 14-square-kilometer reserve could mean they would be confined to much smaller areas than they would need in natural conditions.
Jimenez added that concentrating more hippos into a limited space could raise aggression risks. and he said that controlling behavior might require interventions such as chemical or physical castration.. He also warned that under cramped circumstances, the relocated animals could become dependent on humans for food.
Colombia’s government is reviewing Ambani’s proposal.. The billionaire plans to send a delegation from India to study both the hippos and the terrain where they live.. Meanwhile. the environment ministry has indicated the billionaire’s plan would. for now. “complement” Colombia’s broader strategy—an approach that still includes culling some animals.
That framing has not reassured residents of Doradal.. For many. the idea of culling remains the most difficult part. particularly for those who have adapted their daily lives to the presence of the herd.. Galindo said she hopes authorities continue pursuing non-lethal solutions and argued that “killing them should only be a last resort. ” stressing that the animals did not choose to end up in Colombia.
As officials weigh competing pathways—sterilization. culling. and relocation—the case in Doradal reflects a broader challenge faced by countries managing invasive or escaped wildlife populations: balancing animal welfare. environmental stability. public safety. and local livelihoods.. What happens next in Colombia could offer a test case for whether high-profile international relocation efforts can overcome the biological and logistical hurdles scientists say stand in the way.
Colombia hippos Doradal Pablo Escobar zoo wildlife relocation culling debate Anant Ambani Vantara