A hippo’s head rises up above the waterline in the Kafue River. (SimonSkafar / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin April 21, 2026 at 5:30am
Pablo Escobar was killed in 1993 after dominating the cocaine trade in the Americas for the previous decade.
But the descendants of the notorious drug lord’s prized hippos live on in Colombia — and the nation’s government is struggling to control them.
Colombian officials agreed on April 13 to a plan that would cull about 80 of the “cocaine hippos,” which have become an invasive species.
Environment Minister Irene Vélez said the government previously tried to neuter the animals or move them to zoos — but the efforts have proven pricey and difficult, according to a report from CBS News.
“If we don’t do this we will not be able to control the population,” she remarked.
“We have to take this action to preserve our ecosystems.”
The New York Post reported that the Colombian government will spend nearly $2 million on the effort.
The expensive ecological encroachment continues because Escobar imported only four hippos to Columbia in the 1980s.
The now-deceased head of the Medellín Cartel owned a private zoo called Hacienda Nápoles in the Magdalena River valley.
The hippos, which are the only members of their species to exist in the wild outside of Africa, took quickly to the environment.
While they draw tourists from around the world, they also terrorize villagers who live in the area.
They meanwhile compete with native manatees for food and make it harder for otters and turtles to survive.
CBS News reported that some hippos have been seen more than 60 miles away from the original ranch.
Audrey Huse, an independent journalist who used to live in Colombia, told the outlet that “because they have no natural predators here, as they would in Africa, the population is booming an it’s affecting the local ecosystem.”
“Because they are such large animals, they consume considerable amounts of grassland and produce significant waste, which then poisons the rivers,” she added.
Some officials in Colombia find the plan to kill part of the hippo population to be needlessly cruel.
Andrea Padilla, a member of the Colombian Senate, said on social media that the hippos are “healthy creatures who are victims of the negligence” of the nation’s government.
“Killings and massacres will never be acceptable,” she said.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations, guiding the publication’s editorial direction, and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Entertainment News, Christian-Conservatism
