By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Anant Ambani, son of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, has renewed an offer to relocate 80 feral hippos in Colombia — descendants of animals once owned by drug lord Pablo Escobar to the Vantara private wildlife facility in Gujarat.
The proposal comes as Colombian authorities move towards culling the growing hippo population, which has become a major ecological concern in the South American country.
The hippos were originally brought to Colombia by Escobar during the 1980s for his private zoo at Hacienda Nápoles. After his death in 1993, the animals were left unattended and gradually spread across the Magdalena River basin, where their population expanded rapidly due to abundant food and the absence of natural predators.
According to recent estimates, more than 200 hippos now roam freely in the region, making it the world’s largest wild hippo population outside Africa. Environmental experts have warned that the animals are damaging local ecosystems, destroying vegetation, and posing risks to wildlife, livestock and residents.
In a statement, Anant Ambani said the animals deserved a humane solution. “These 80 hippos did not choose where they were born, nor did they create the circumstances they now face,” he said, adding that living beings should be protected where possible.
Ambani said the Vantara sanctuary has the infrastructure and expertise required to house the animals and has appealed to the Colombian government to permit a “safe, scientifically led translocation”.
A similar proposal had been floated in 2023, when plans were discussed to relocate 60 hippos to the facility, then known as Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre. However, logistical hurdles, including capturing and transporting the two-tonne animals, along with regulatory clearances, prevented the move from materialising.
The latest proposal could reportedly cost several million dollars and would require extensive international coordination.
Vantara, which houses over 150,000 animals including several endangered species, has also faced scrutiny in recent years. Critics and international watchdogs have raised concerns regarding wildlife sourcing and compliance with conservation regulations .
Some critics have accused the facility of indirect complicity in wildlife trafficking, while others have condemned Vantara as a “vanity zoo” of the Ambani family. The sanctuary and the Ambani family, however, have denied any wrongdoing, while an inquiry by the Supreme Court of India reportedly found no evidence of illegal activity.
Questions have also been raised over whether the Gujarat-based facility is suited for hippos, which are not native to India and require extensive aquatic habitats. However, Ambani maintained that the sanctuary could provide a secure and sustainable environment for the animals.
Colombian authorities recently announced plans to formally hunt and cull sections of the hippo population after sterilisation efforts failed to control their rapid growth, a move that triggered criticism from animal rights groups.