Anant Ambani proposed relocating 80 hippos from Colombia to his wildlife sanctuary in India, seeking to prevent their scheduled culling.
9:36 AM
Anant Ambani, son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, has formally offered to house approximately 80 hippopotamuses currently living in Colombia, proposing to transfer the animals to his wildlife rescue center in western India as an alternative to their planned culling.
The hippos are descendants of animals introduced to Colombia by drug trafficker Pablo Escobar decades ago. The Colombian government announced this month that it intends to sterilize some of the animals and euthanize others, with the culling process scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026. Each euthanasia procedure is estimated to cost approximately $14,000, while sterilization can cost up to $10,000 per animal.
In a statement, Ambani said the hippos "did not choose where they were born, nor create the circumstances they now face. They are sentient beings, and if we have the opportunity to save them through a safe and humane solution, we have the responsibility to try." He formally requested that the Colombian government suspend its decision to sacrifice the animals.
The hippos have become an invasive species in Colombia, causing damage to local ecosystems and threatening native species as their population has grown. The Colombian Ministry of Environment developed a technical protocol outlining procedures for capturing, sedating, and euthanizing the animals.
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