Hippopotamuses are an introduced species in Colombia. Four hippopotamuses were first kept by the drug lord Pablo Escobar in his private zoo in the early 1980s, and upon his death in 1993, they were allowed to wander his unattended estate. The hippos eventually broke out of the estate and, being too difficult to contain, were left to roam the area. By 2026, their population has grown to around two hundred individuals, causing concerns about harming the native flora and fauna in the area, as well as posing a significant threat to people.
History In the early 1980s, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar visited a wildlife breeding center in Dallas, Texas, to strike a deal to adopt four hippopotamuses. In 1981, four hippos, three females and one male, were imported by Escobar to his private menagerie at his residence in Hacienda Nápoles, located between the cities of Medellín and Bogotá. After Escobar's 1993 death, the zoo was unofficially closed, but the hippos would later escape the residence and spread out to nearby areas. By 2007, the animals had multiplied to 16 and had taken to roaming the area for food in the nearby Magdalena River. In early 2014, there were reported to be 40 hippopotamuses in Puerto Triunfo, Antioquia. The estimated population in December 2019 was around 90–120, with their range covering around 2,250 km2 (870 mi2) and now extending into the department of Santander; it was expected that the population would almost certainly increase to more than 150 individuals within a decade and could reach up to more than 200 hippos, while the range eventually could cover more than 13,500 km2 (5,200 mi2). Population projections estimate that there could be thousands within a few decades. The Colombian hippos reach sexual maturity earlier than African hippos. Another study in 2023 revealed the number of existing hippos to be even higher than previously estimated, with already between 181 and 215 individuals.
Conflict with citizens Locals have reported "mock attacks" on humans, but as of 2017 none had been fatal or resulted in serious injury. On June 18, 2009, a hippopotamus named Pepe was killed by hunters under authorization of the government. Authorities of the department of Antioquia had declared the hippo as a threat and health risk to farmers and fisherman, and ordered him to be killed. When a photo of the dead hippo surrounded by 15 armed men became public, it caused considerable controversy among animal rights groups both within the country and abroad. Protesters picketed the Environment Ministry and expressed their opposition to the upcoming plan to kill two other hippos, Matilda, and her baby Hip. Further plans of culling ceased, until April 13th of 2026 when Irene Vélez, Colombia's environment minister, announced that the government aims to cull approximately 80 hippos due to the risks to people and primarily the ongoing threat to biodiversity they pose.
Conservation concerns Being non-native introductions, most conservationists considered them problematic and invasive in Colombia, as they have the potential to change various ecosystems, feeding heavily on plants and displacing native species like the West Indian manatee, neotropical otter, spectacled caiman and turtles. The critically endangered Dahl's toad-headed turtle and Magdalena River turtle are largely restricted to the Magdalena River basin, as are many threatened fish. In 2020, a study showed that there was an increase in the nutrient levels and cyanobacteria in Colombian lakes inhabited by hippos. Cyanobacteria can cause algae blooms and die-offs of aquatic fauna. Despite the limited magnitude of the observed change, it was notable since the species' population was still quite small. This increase in nutrient levels is because of their behavior; during the day, they spend their time wallowing in the river, and during the night, they are on land grazing. With this constant movement, an individual hippo can transport up to 750 kilograms (1,650 lb) dry mass per year of carbon and nutrients from land to water through their waste. Additionally, their movements can also significantly impact the geomorphology and hydrology of the Magdalena River. When they wallow through dense, vegetated areas, they end up creating paths which form or connect ponds to the river that will later fill up with sediment due to flooding. This damages the habitat of many aquatic plants and animals as these ponds are mainly used for nursery purposes to protect the offspring from larger predators that live in the river. In contrast to the opposition by most conservationists, some ecologists have argued that the hippos should remain and might even have a positive effect on the local environment. It has been suggested that the nutrients they introduce to the water and the occasional fish kills caused by them are overall positive, but this was based on a study in their native Africa. Alternatively, the introduced hippos could be a form of Pleistocene rewilding project, replacing species like Toxodon that became extinct in prehistoric times, but Pleistocene rewilding itself is highly controversial. Others have argued that the Colombian hippos should be regarded as a safe population, isolated from the threats faced by African hippos, and that they could be beneficial to the local ecotourism industry.
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