Gena Steffens
A hippopotamus in the Magdalena River, Colombia’s largest waterway, where descendants of Escobar’s group are increasingly settling, threatening plant and animal life
Anant Ambani wants to save Escobar’s – condemned to death – hippos, arguing that the animals are “not to blame for the context in which they were placed”.
After the news that , Anant Ambani offered to give the animals a home.
The tycoon’s son Mukesh Ambani formally requested the Colombian Government to suspend the decision to kill the beings, stating that it has a detailed plan to keep the animals alive.
In fact, hippos are a big problem in that South American country. Scientists warn that the animals cause damage to local ecosystems, in addition to threatening native species such as manatees and river turtles, damaging agricultural land and posing risks to the population.
It all started when, in the 1980s, Pablo Escobar decided to import illegally hippos, native to sub-Saharan Africa, to his private zoo in Colombia.
In 1993, when Escobar was caught and killed by authorities, most of the zoo’s animals were rehomed – except for the hippos, which were too small. stubborn and aggressive and therefore could not be transferred.
The mammals continued to live on the grounds of Escobar’s former estate and formed a wild population around nearby lakes. The species reproduced and, within a few decades, hippos became of four to over 150.
Recently, hippos have been sighted in areas more than 100 kilometers north of the farm.
and Minister of the Environment, Irene Velez Torresmade it known that the authorities intend initially slaughter around 80 animalsas efforts to relocate hippos to zoos and wildlife parks in countries such as Mexico, India and the Philippines have failed.
However, according to AFP, Anant Ambani offered, this Tuesday, to welcome the hippos at his animal center – Missing – in order to avoid the death of animals.
The zoo in the state of Gujarat, in western India, is called “one of the largest rescue centerscare and conservation of the world’s wildlife”.
According to the same agency, citing the Central Zoological Gardens Authority of India, Vantara is already home to hundreds of elephants, in addition to 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards and 900 crocodiles.
“These 80 hippos did not choose where they were born, nor did they create the circumstances they face now. They are living, sentient beings, and if we have the ability to save them through a safe and humane solution, we have a responsibility to try,” appeals the billionaire heir.
