Colombian authorities rescue malnourished newborn hippo found alone by fishermen

WASHINGTON – (TNND) — A newborn hippopotamus found alone and severely dehydrated in northwestern Colombia is drawing renewed attention to the country’s growing struggle with the descendants of Pablo Escobar’s notorious hippo herd.

Environmental authorities said fishermen discovered the calf on a riverbank in the municipality of Puerto Nare, Antioquia. The animal was reportedly separated from its mother and suffering from dehydration and malnutrition when it was rescued.

Veterinarians stabilized the young hippo before transferring it to a sanctuary at Hacienda Nápoles, Escobar’s former estate that has become the center of efforts to manage Colombia’s expanding hippo population.

The rescue comes as Colombian officials face mounting pressure to control what has become the world’s largest population of hippos outside Africa. The animals trace their origins to four hippos imported by Escobar in the 1980s for a private zoo on his sprawling ranch.

After Escobar’s death in 1993, the animals were left behind and eventually spread throughout the Magdalena River basin. With no natural predators and favorable environmental conditions, the population has grown rapidly over the past three decades. Authorities estimate roughly 200 hippos now live in the wild across parts of central Colombia. Scientists and environmental agencies warn the animals are altering river ecosystems, competing with native wildlife and creating risks for nearby communities.

The Colombian government has pursued several strategies to slow the population’s growth, including sterilization programs and proposals to relocate animals to sanctuaries abroad. Officials have acknowledged relocation efforts are expensive and logistically difficult.

Earlier this year, authorities approved a plan to reduce the population after previous reproductive-control measures failed to curb its expansion. The proposal sparked debate among conservationists, animal welfare advocates and local residents over how best to manage the invasive species.

The rescued calf is expected to remain under professional care, but its discovery underscores the broader challenge confronting Colombia: managing a rapidly growing population of nonnative hippos that has become one of the country’s most unusual environmental issues.