Indian Billionaire Proposes New Home for Escobar's Hippos 0 8

Anant Ambani, the son of Indian magnate Mukesh Ambani, has proposed to relocate around 80 hippos descended from Pablo Escobar to his "Vantara" sanctuary in the Indian state of Gujarat, stating that he wants to save the animals from extinction. According to him, if there is an opportunity to help living beings humanely and safely, it must be taken, writes bb.lv, citing The Guardian.

However, there has been controversy surrounding "Vantara." The sanctuary houses over 150,000 animals, including rare and endangered species, and critics claim that some of them may have been obtained illegally or unethically. There are also reports of possible violations of wildlife trade regulations. Some opponents label the project as a "private zoo for prestige," inaccessible to the public, although it has the support of authorities and was relaunched with the involvement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Ambani family and the management of "Vantara" reject the accusations. Furthermore, an investigation by the Supreme Court of India last year found no evidence of illegal activity.

The idea of relocating the hippos emerged in 2023 when a plan was considered to transport 60 animals from Colombia. However, the implementation faced serious challenges: capturing wild hippos weighing up to two tons, obtaining permits, and coordinating between countries proved to be extremely complex tasks. Now, Ambani has stated that he has directly approached the Colombian government with a proposal to organize a "scientifically grounded and safe relocation" so that the animals can have a permanent habitat. He emphasized that the hippos are not to blame for the conditions they find themselves in. Transporting such a number of animals could cost over $4 million and remains logistically challenging.

The history of these hippos dates back to Pablo Escobar, who brought several specimens from Africa to his zoo at the Hacienda Napoles estate in the 1980s. After his death in 1993, the animals were left uncontrolled, and over time they multiplied in the Magdalena River basin. Today, there are more than 200 hippos in Colombia – the largest population outside Africa. They cause significant damage to ecosystems, destroy vegetation, and pose a threat to local animals and people. Efforts to control their population, including sterilization, have not yet yielded quick results. Amid forecasts of the population growing to a thousand individuals, Colombian authorities recently announced the beginning of culling the animals, which sparked protests from environmentalists.

At the same time, doubts remain about whether "Vantara" is suitable for housing hippos. These animals are not natural inhabitants of India, and although the sanctuary already has large predators and other species, there is no experience in keeping hippos there. Nevertheless, Ambani insists that his project can provide safe conditions for the animals and is ready to implement the relocation in cooperation with Colombian authorities.

The situation with Escobar's hippos remains complex: on one hand, there is a threat to nature, and on the other, there are attempts to save the animals. The idea of transporting them to India sounds like a chance, but it is still unclear whether this plan can be realized and whether it will truly be the best solution, questions bb.lv.