An Indian billionaire heir has offered to relocate dozens of so-called “cocaine hippos” descended from animals once owned by Pablo Escobar, as Colombia weighs plans to cull the invasive species. Anant Ambani, son of Mukesh Ambani, proposed on April 27 to transport 80 hippos to his wildlife sanctuary in India.
The animals, originally brought to Colombia in the 1980s for Escobar’s private zoo, have multiplied rapidly, with their population now estimated at around 160. Authorities say their growing numbers threaten local ecosystems and native wildlife, prompting controversial plans to reduce the population.
Ambani has urged officials to reconsider, offering to house the hippos at Vantara, his conservation center in Gujarat, which shelters thousands of animals across hundreds of species. Any relocation, he said, would follow strict regulatory, logistical, and biosecurity requirements, ensuring long-term care. The billionaire’s proposal and its feasibility are under consideration by Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.
Indeed, Pablo Escobar once ruled the global cocaine trade, amassing immense wealth and building extravagant estates filled with exotic animals. Decades later, remnants of that legacy still roam Colombia, turning an infamous chapter of history into an ongoing environmental dilemma. Click through the gallery to learn more about Escobar’s extraordinary life.