Anant Ambani offers to relocate Escobar’s hippos to India

Indian magnate Anant Ambani has offered to take in 80 hippos at his conservation center in India. These animals are descendants of the first specimens introduced to Colombia in the 1980s by drug trafficker Pablo Escobar for his private zoo at Hacienda Nápoles.

The animals are now at risk of euthanasia to control their unchecked reproduction, which has pushed the population to over 200 individuals, CE Report quotes ANSA.

In a letter sent to the Colombian government, Ambani said he is ready to relocate them to the Vantara center in the Indian state of Gujarat, stating that he has the facilities and expertise required.

“They did not choose where they were born—we have a duty to find a humane solution,” he said.

The proposal reignites debate over how to manage an invasive species that threatens local ecosystems, endangering native wildlife and river communities. Hippos—territorial and aggressive animals—have already been responsible for attacks and habitat disruption.

In mid-April, Colombia’s Environment Ministry announced plans to cull around 80 animals after failed attempts to relocate them abroad, hindered by high costs and logistical challenges. A judge later suspended the government’s plan following an appeal by animal rights organizations.