Talk about a dangerous invasive species.
Today, Colombian officials agreed on a plan to cull dozens of hippos roaming freely through the country.
The huge African beasts occupy a fertile and humid region in the center of the country, and there they are a menace to villagers and are displacing the native species.
Colombia will launch a plan in the second half of 2026 to control its invasive hippopotamus population, including euthanizing an initial 80 animals, Environment Minister Irene Velez said on Monday. https://t.co/vJcB9kSo2j https://t.co/vJcB9kSo2j
— Reuters Science News (@ReutersScience) April 13, 2026
Associated Press reported:
“Environment Minister Irene Vélez said the decision was reached because other methods to control their population have been expensive and unsuccessful, including neutering some of the animals or moving them to zoos. Vélez said that up to 80 hippos would be affected by the measure. She did not say when the hunting would begin.
‘If we don’t do this, we will not be able to control the population’, Vélez said. ‘We have to take this action to preserve our ecosystems’.”
Only in Colombia will you find a wild hippo population outside of Africa.
These fearsome beasts are the descendants of four animals from Pablo Escober’s private zoo in Hacienda Nápoles.
Hay preocupación por la presencia de hipopótamos en municipios de Antioquia, en Barrancabermeja (Santander) y hasta en Santa Marta. Las autoridades ambientales advierten sobrepoblación de estas especies.
Siga la señal de Noticias Caracol en vivo aquí: https://t.co/IUJUaJy1R3 pic.twitter.com/U7qiAwzht7
— Noticias Caracol (@NoticiasCaracol) April 7, 2026
“A study published by Colombia’s National University estimated that around 170 hippos were roaming freely in the country in 2022.
Recently, hippos have been spotted in areas that are more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the ranch, where Escobar initially introduced the water-dwelling pachyderms.”
Read more, from February 2024:
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