April 13 (UPI) -- The Government of Colombia said Monday it will cull up to 80 hippos descended from animals illegally introduced by drug trafficker Pablo Escobar in the 1980s as part of a plan to control an invasive population that now exceeds 160 of the animals, environmental authorities reported.
The Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, Irene Vélez Torres, signed a circular establishing guidelines and targets for institutional coordination in the management and control of invasive hippos in the South American country.
"With this circular, we are advancing coordinated actions with regional corporations for the management of hippos in the country. Two key protocols are adopted: translocation and euthanasia," she said on X.
La ministra (e), Irene Vélez Torres (@IreneVelezT), firmó la circular que establece lineamientos y metas para la coordinación institucional en el manejo y control de los #HipopótamosInvasores en Colombia:
"Con esta circular avanzamos en acciones coordinadas con las corporaciones... pic.twitter.com/CH3HAC4fhH— MinAmbiente Colombia (@MinAmbienteCo) April 13, 2026
