Escobar's Hippos

Billionaire's Son Wants to Save Escobar's "Cocaine Hippos"

Billionaire Anant Ambani is offering to help Colombia take over Pablo Escobar's hippos, the BBC reports. He writes in a letter to the country's environment minister that he is "willing to receive and care for" the animals at his private zoo in Vantara in the Indian state of Gujarat.

The notorious drug lord Escobar illegally imported a large number of exotic animals to his ranch Hacienda Nápoles, including a pair of hippos known as the "cocaine hippos." After he was shot dead in 1993, the hippos were allowed to roam freely on the Magdalena River and their population grew. According to authorities, the hippos have driven out the natural fauna in the area, and after years of problems, a decision has been made to kill 80 of them.

Colombia has not yet responded to the billionaire's son's offer.

Hated or loved – Colombia in a row over hippos

Colombian hippos are a politically charged issue in the country, reports the AP. The animals are not part of the natural fauna – but were illegally imported by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s. Since then, they have multiplied uncontrollably to a population of 200, all descendants of Escobar's hippos.

The hippos live around the Magdalena River and are seen as a threat to humans and other species in the area. The fishing industry has also been hit hard. At the same time, both Colombians and tourists are fascinated by them – hippo tours have become a lucrative attraction.

When authorities decided earlier this year that half of the population would be killed, a lively debate started. Animal rights activists and some politicians call the proposal a coming "massacre",

Businesses warn that it will hit tourism hard.

– We don't want to see a dead hippo. "They are not African anymore. They are Colombian, born and raised here for over 30 years," says Diana Hincapié, who runs a restaurant near Magdalena.