\u201cIf we don\u2019t do this we will not be able to control the population,\u201d V\u00e9lez said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe have to take this action to preserve our ecosystems.\u201d<\/p>\n The animals descend from four hippos Escobar illegally imported in the 1980s for his private zoo at Hacienda Napoles. After the drug lord\u2019s death in 1993, most of his exotic animals were removed \u2014 but the hippos were left behind.<\/p>\n The hippos have abundant food and no natural predators, quickly multiplying into an estimated 170 by 2022 and have since been spotted more than 100km from the original ranch.<\/p>\n Authorities say the hippos now pose a serious risk to nearby communities, with residents encountering the aggressive animals in rivers and farmland.<\/p>\n Environmental agencies warn they are also competing with native species such as river manatees and damaging waterways with large volumes of waste.<\/p>\n Colombia is the only country outside Africa with a wild hippo population.<\/p>\n The government has previously explored sending some animals to overseas sanctuaries, but the cost \u2014 estimated at US$3.5 million (A$5m)\u2014 and concerns about disease and genetics have stalled the plan.<\/p>\n Despite the risks, the hippos have become a tourist draw around Hacienda Napoles, which now operates as a theme park featuring waterslides, a zoo and hippo\u2011spotting tours. Locals sell hippo\u2011themed souvenirs, and the animals remain one of the park\u2019s biggest attractions.<\/p>\n Animal rights groups have condemned the cull, arguing the hippos are victims of decades of government inaction.<\/p>\n Senator and animal welfare advocate Andrea Padilla labelled the plan \u201ccruel\u201d, writing that \u201ckillings and massacres will never be acceptable\u201d on a X post.<\/a><\/p>\n For more than a decade, successive governments have attempted to neuter some of the animals, but the operations are dangerous, costly and too slow to keep pace with the herd\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Search ends in tragedy as Jordan Dawson\u2019s brother found dead<\/p>\n 2 min read<\/p>\n![\"Hippo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2073a399616770cf61b6311b287df4f3c7beaaeb.png\")
Hippo key rings are displayed for sale at a souvenir shop near the Hacienda N\u00e1poles Park in 2020. Credit: AP<\/p>\n