Colombia plans to euthanize 80 hippos in second-half 2026 effort to curb invasive herd

Colombia will move in the second half of 2026 to rein in its fast-growing invasive hippopotamus population, starting with the euthanasia of about 80 animals, Environment Minister Irene Velez said on Monday. Speaking at a press conference in Bogotá on April 13, Velez said some 200 hippos now roam the central region near the Magdalena River and warned the number could climb to as many as 1,000 by 2035 if no control measures are adopted.

"We must act to reduce the hippopotamus population. These actions are essential to protect our ecosystems and our native species," she told journalists, citing threats to river turtles and manatees and water pollution. She added that approximately 80 individuals may be subject to euthanasia.

The herd descends from four hippos illegally imported in the 1980s by the late drug trafficker Pablo Escobar, who kept a private zoo. Despite sporadic efforts by provincial environmental authorities, the population has expanded largely unchecked. Velez said the program announced Monday has a budget of 7.2 billion pesos ($1.98 million) and will also rely on confinement and relocation.

Colombia has been in talks for months with eight governments, including India, Mexico, the Philippines, Ecuador, Peru and South Africa, to potentially transfer some animals to zoos or sanctuaries abroad. The necessary authorizations for any transfers have not yet been obtained, she noted.

The hippos have genetic defects due to inbreeding, which has reduced some institutions’ interest in receiving them. Officials say the measures are intended to prevent further expansion of the herd and limit ecological damage, with euthanasia positioned as one component of a broader plan that will begin in the second half of 2026.