Colombians in and around the Magdalena River are split over how to handle an expanding population of invasive hippos descended from animals illegally brought to the country for Pablo Escobar’s private zoo decades ago. Colombia’s Environment Ministry has warned that the hippo population could surpass 500 by 2030 if the government does not intervene, and it recently approved a plan that calls for euthanizing about 80 hippos starting in the latter half of the year.
In Puerto Triunfo, a town about 200 kilometers from Bogotá that sits along the Cocorná Sur River, the debate cuts across daily life. Fishermen describe dangerous encounters, while other residents and tourism operators say the animals have become part of the community’s identity and economy after more than 30 years in Colombia.
Fisherman Wilinton Sánchez described the risk from the animals, saying in an interview that “These hippos are a true nightmare.” He said that during an outing on Saturday, one lunged, reared up, and swung its jaws wide, warning that if the animal ever gets hold of a person, “it’ll tear you to pieces.” Other residents also say the animals’ presence affects local work: Álvaro Molina, who lives on the riverbank opposite the “Island of Silence,” said the hippos have crippled the local fishing industry because so many people have abandoned it out of fear.
At the same time, the hippos draw visitors who come to watch them in the murky river. Several afternoons a week, boats carry tourists—both Colombians and foreigners—looking for signs of hippos surfacing from the tea-colored current. Even those “hippo-watching” trips can end in screams when animals close the distance quickly, but residents also say the tours bring needed business to the community.
The animals were introduced illegally in the 1980s, according to the reporting, when Escobar brought hippos to Colombia for his private zoo at Hacienda Nápoles, a secluded estate with features including an airstrip. Today, the hippos are blamed for human-animal conflict and for ecological concerns, but residents also argue that the animals have changed in their hands. Diana Hincapié, 48, a restaurant owner in Puerto Triunfo who described the hippos as having local roots, said, “We don’t want to see a dead hippopotamus. They aren’t African anymore; they are Colombian, born and bred here for over 30 years.”
Under the Environment Ministry’s control plan, officials say they will pursue a mix of approaches rather than only lethal measures. The government’s strategy includes confinement, transfers to international sanctuaries or zoos, and euthanasia as a last resort when non-lethal options prove unfeasible. The ministry also said the hippos have spread across about 43,000 square kilometers, according to its estimates, and that they can reproduce without natural predators in Colombia’s relatively stable conditions.
Scientists say the ecological stakes are real. Daniel Cadena, dean of the faculty of sciences at the University of the Andes, said in support of intervention that hippos in their natural range can significantly impact ecosystem structure. Cadena also advocates for a mixed control strategy that includes euthanasia, according to the reporting.
But opponents of the plan argue that killing is not only unnecessary but ethically unacceptable, and they have intensified their criticism of the timing and scale. Animal welfare activists have decried the euthanasia proposal as “murder,” and the reporting says scientists advocating for euthanasia have faced death threats. Sen. Andrea Padilla said the government’s move would amount to “an extermination” and called it “a massacre of 80 individuals,” adding that the proposal would repeat harm left as “a legacy left to us by a drug trafficker.” Padilla said, “How can we possibly close this chapter in the exact same way — by shooting the hippos?”
Relocating the animals has also stalled. The Environment Ministry said that no country has committed to taking the hippos for transfer, citing deterrents including receiving costs and legal bans on importing invasive species. With international relocation not taking shape, residents and officials are left arguing over whether confinement and transfers can contain growth—or whether euthanasia is needed to prevent what the ministry says could be an even larger population by 2030.