The Government of Colombia announced this Monday a hippopotamus management plan that includes the euthanasia of at least 80 specimens during the second half of this year, due to the uncontrolled reproduction of this invasive exotic species that was introduced more than three decades ago by drug trafficker Pablo Escobar.
“Since 2022, science has told us that we must reduce the population (of hippos) to save our ecosystems,” said the Minister of the Environment, Irene Vélez, referring to euthanasia as a control method after verifying that the attempt to transfer these specimens to other countries was not successful.
The Director of Forests of the Ministry of the Environment, Natalia Ramírez, explained that two methods of euthanasia will be implemented, one physical and the other chemical, which begins with the capture of the hippopotamus, sedation and subsequent administration of medications “approved by experts in the management of these processes.”
Vélez stated that this euthanasia protocol is “responsible and ethical” and that it will be applied to at least 80 individuals from Hacienda Nápoles, Escobar’s former property in the center of the country, and on the Isla del Silencio, where the largest number of this species is concentrated.
However, he did not rule out intervening in other areas near cities where the presence of these animals, which pose a danger to the human population, has been confirmed.
“We know that there are hippopotamus individuals that are walking in spaces where human beings live and for us it is essential to protect human life,” Vélez said in a press conference.
The Minister of Environment reported that, for the first time, resources worth 7.2 billion Colombian pesos (almost two million dollars) will be allocated to execute this plan starting in the second half of 2026.
It is estimated that there are currently around 200 hippos and, if this species is not controlled, the population of pachyderms in the country could reach 1,000 in 2035.
