Colombians are divided over the fate of Pablo Escobar's hippos

Key Points:

• Colombia faces a growing population of about 200 invasive hippos along the Magdalena River, descendants of animals illegally brought by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s, with numbers expected to exceed 500 by 2030 without intervention.
• The Environment Ministry has approved a plan to euthanize around 80 hippos starting later this year, sparking controversy among scientists, animal rights activists, and local residents who rely on hippo tourism for their livelihoods.
• Local communities, especially in Puerto Triunfo, see the hippos as part of their identity and economy, fearing that euthanasia would devastate tourism, while some fishermen report safety risks and economic harm due to hippo encounters.
• The government's control strategy includes confinement, relocation to international sanctuaries or zoos, and euthanasia as a last resort, but relocation efforts have stalled due to high costs and legal restrictions in potential host countries.
• Experts highlight the ecological impact of the hippos on local ecosystems and support a mixed control approach, though euthanasia methods pose challenges due to the animals' size and thick skin, and political figures call for prioritizing non-lethal solutions.